When Secrets Come Out to Play
by ljam86
Summary: Quinn puts her quest to find herself on hold in order to figure out the suddenly more mysterious Rachel Berry. She soon finds that there is more to the little brunette than she ever thought possible.Punk!Quinn Semi-Baddass!Rachel.
1. She's a Mystery to Me

**Title:** When Secrets Come Out to Play

**Chapter 1/?** : She's a Mystery to Me

**Fandom:** Glee  
><strong>Pairings: <strong>Rachel Berry /Quinn Fabray Side Brittany/ Santana Rachel/Others Quinn/OC  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 for sexual themes and eventual smutt.  
><strong>Word Length<strong>: 1000+ per chapter.  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Quinn puts her quest to find herself on hold in order to figure out the suddenly more mysterious Rachel Berry. She soon finds that there is more to the little brunette than she ever thought possible. Perhaps she'll even figure herself out on the anyway. Punk!Quinn Simi-Baddass!Rachel.

**Spoilers: **All aired episodes, only a few things from season three as it's AU for the most part.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "Glee", if I did it would be even gayer if at all possible. The song Woohoo belongs to **Christina** _**Aguilera**_ and _**Nicki**_ _**Minaj**_. I just changed a few things up to fit the situation. I do own the OC's.

**Thanks to t8kmybreathaway for doing some great beta work.**

She stood under the bleachers, cigarette in hand. It had been a month since school had let back in. Her interactions with the Skanks had dissipated, though she still found herself there twice a day having a smoke. All the glee kids had tried to "talk some since into her," even Santana. Apparently, she was acting crazy by finding someone new to be. Why would she want to go back to the Cheerios anyway? She had been knocked down too many times to recover this time. It wasn't like she was going to go back and resume being captain, so what was the point? She was done with all that. She was not going to play the all American girl next door who lived to be perfect in everyone's eyes anymore. She was going to do what she wanted.

In the beginning, she wasn't going back to glee. Her life had gone to shit from the moment she started with that club, but then despite Mr. Shuester's fucked up tirade about how selfish she was, she realized that she had always really enjoyed glee. She also had to admit, at least to herself, that they really were the only people that she was able to rely on during her pregnancy; even if she hadn't always treated them well in the past. Hell even Rachel, who she treated worse than anyone had had her back on multiple occasions. She'd slapped the girl and ended up being on the receiving end of her comfort all in one night. If it had been the other way around, she probably would have made Rachel eat the porcelain sink for putting her hands on her like that, but no, not Rachel. She just had to be all nice and understanding. She just had to tell her that she was the most beautiful girl she'd ever met and then go on to tell her that she was more than that.

Quinn couldn't fathom what was up with that girl. Nobody is that understanding, not that the Jewish girl was always so innocent. She had a way of being manipulative when she wanted to be, but she always seemed to feel bad about it later. The other girl had been crossing her mind a lot lately. Ever since she came to her and pleaded for her to rejoin glee, risking her own safety by not only approaching the now pink-haired girl, but the Skanks as well. She even had the nerve to mention that she and Finn were done, like that had anything to do with her absence from the club. She knew as much anyway. He had shown up at her door, fresh off of getting egg on his face at the beginning of summer, claiming that he had made a mistake. "Well yeah," she had said. "Not only did you ruin prom for two girls you said you loved, but then you broke up with me at a funeral and screwed us at nationals you dick." He was shocked to say the least.

Even more bizarre, was Rachel's own new attitude change. Anyone that knew the girl in the slightest would assume that the girl would be more intense seeing as how this was her senior year, however, things seemed to go the other way. It wasn't anything extreme, though when it comes to Rachel Berry, a little change can seem like something huge. She was still wearing her less than high school friendly attire, though she had been sporting the vintage look from time to time. She wasn't as high strung though. She hadn't put up much of a fight when Mr. Scheuster gave a solo to Mercedes without so much as an audition. Berry hadn't even managed one diva storm out yet. Add to that, the girl was actually, well, relaxed. Quinn had to give the other girl some serious props for finding a way to annoy the glee club instructor in a whole new way. She drove him crazy when she was trying to take over glee all the time, but now that she was getting comfortable blending in, he was having to do a lot more work than he had anticipated, and he tended to show just how flustered he was.

Quinn chuckled to herself at her musings before taking one last long drag and flicking her cigarette away. She then picked up her bag and made her way to the music room.

**RQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQ**

Quinn slunk into the room, seating herself next to Brittany, who of course was sitting next to Santana, both giggling about something or other. As much as Quinn tried to keep to herself, she wasn't about to hurt Brittany's feelings. Her blonde friend smiled at her excitedly. The Hazel-eyed girl smiled back and gave her a wink just as the glee instructor entered the room.

"All right, folks," the man began as he walked over to the white board and uncapped a dry erase marker. "We need to get serious about this." He began to write the words _Common Ground. "_Common ground," he said as if to confirm to the kids that that was what he had written. He was about to explain what it all meant when Rachel walked through the door with a small grin on her face and headed over to sit between Puck and Kurt.

"I apologize for my tardiness Mr. Scheuster. I had something else that required my attention." This was new. Rachel had relaxed in many ways, but being late for glee was not one of them. Puck didn't seem all that surprised, nor did Kurt but everyone else took a quick moment to show their surprise through their facial expressions. Even Brittany took notice enough to scrunch her face first at Santana and then at Quinn in search of an answer that the other two girls didn't have.

"May I ask what was more important than being on time for glee?" asked the teacher.

"I can't stop you from asking but with all due respect I will refrain from answering. Again, I apologize for the interruption. You may continue." There was no malice in her voice, and her smile was genuine enough, but that was just odd.

Mercedes leaned into Kurt. "What is up with that girl," she whispered.

"Just let it be," he said back. "You weren't complaining when you got the solo for sectionals," he joked.

"Noted," she giggled back.

"Okay then," the teacher said hesitantly. "Common ground is this week's theme. I'm going to partner you all up with people you aren't used to partnering with." The resounding groans throughout the room couldn't go unnoticed, though he continued as if he hadn't heard or seen their reactions. "For a lot of you this is your senior years and even though we've had over two years together, there are those of you who haven't bonded very much. You'll need to find a song that fits you both in some way and explain why."

"But what if we have, like, nothing in common?" Asked Finn from his spot on the far right of the top riser.

"Yeah, I mean if we aren't bonded it's probably because we have nothing in common," Quinn stated from her seat.

"Actually," said Mr. Schue, "It's when you get to know people that you more likely to find common ground. Yes, in some cases like ours, we all like to preform, which is why we're all here, though we can have more in common on another level. Now some of you work really well with most," he looked over to Tina and Mike, "While others only work well with a few," he quickly glanced to Santana. "So before I post the list I'm only going to say this once. You will not be allowed to switch partners regardless of complaint. I partnered you all the way I did for a reason. So once you see who you're partnered with I suggest you get together and start working things out. You'll have the rest of the hour to figure out when you want to meet up to practice and whatever else it is you need to do. You will be performing your numbers throughout the next week." The man taped the paper to the wall by the door and then left through it, probably hoping to avoid the inevitable complaints to come.

Not five seconds later the group, minus Rachel and Artie were climbing over one another to see who they'd each been saddled with.

Duets List

Brittany/Tina

Quinn/Artie

Puck/Kurt

Finn/Mercedes

Santana/Rachel

Sam/ Mike

Santana took no time groaning loudly over who she had been partnered with. "Schue's lucky he ran out of here like a little bitch," she mumbled as she stomped over to the little singer. "Look Berry, I know you're crazy and want to start on this kind of crap right away but I have a life. I gots plans this weekend so we won't be working on this til after Saturday, got it?"

"I understand completely Santana. I myself have plans that span the weekend so I won't be available until after two on Sunday. Is two good for you? It'll give me time to recover fr…."

"God that's enough talking already," the Latina said as she brought a hand up to as if to shield the other girl's words. "Fine two on Sunday. I don't want you at my house so your place it is."

"Okay," Rachel beamed a little too much. "I'll reserve the date. Now if you'll excuse me, seeing as how Mr. Shuester saw it fit to depart early, I feel like I should be able to follow suit and begin my weekend." She quickly removed herself from in front of Santana, gathered her things, and took leave of the room.

Santana would be lying if she hadn't been left surprised. It could be seen on her face, which is why Quinn was bold enough to walk closer to her and say, "Is someone drugging her or something? I mean, it isn't just me right? She's…..off."

"Like I have time to sit around and theorize about what's scrambling the dwarf's brain."

"But it's wei…"

Santana cut her off, "Okay I'll give you one theory. The members of munchkin land came back for their leader and are slowly plying her with mind altering drugs until she remembers her home land. Happy?" The pink-haired girl rolled her eyes.

"I knew Rachel was magic," Brittany beamed linking pinkies with Santana. "I'll bet she can get Lord Tubbington to stop smoking."

"We can ask her," Santana relented. Quinn had to hold back a smile. A whipped Santana was actually kind of nice to see, not that she'd tell her friend that.

"Sanny did you ask Q yet?"

"Ask Q what?" Quinn furrowed her brow in confusion, noticing that the room was slowly deflating of people.

"Britts and me, we're going to this party one of her dance friends was telling us about the other day."

"Okay," said Quinn tentatively wondering what that had to do with her.

"They hold it at this warehouse outside of town every Friday. Some rich bitch's daddy owns it or whatever. It's mostly college girls," she went on.

"Sounds like fun, but what does that have to do with me?" Quinn was getting annoyed now.

"Calm your frosty tits and I'll tell you."

"Go on."

"Anyway, it's mostly girls that like girls." She smiled over at the blonde dancer. "Britts really wants to go." This was a big deal and an even bigger step for Santana. With all of her denials and discomfort, this was a way for the Latina to openly be with the girl she loved and not worry about what anyone thought about it. This was a step toward being open in general.

"And we want you to come," Brittany finished, bouncing on her heals.

"Britt, that sounds really fun and I think you two should go but I'm not…"

"So you're worried about going to a lesbian party? I thought this new Quinn didn't give a shit what people thought." Santana said in a mocking tone. The idea of not giving Brittany what she wanted was upsetting her. Brittany wanted Quinn to come and she was going to make it happen. "Maybe you're still that scared little suppressed prude who wants to make everyone see her like an all American prom queen."

"Shut up, S."

"Don't be mean," Brittany said to the both of them. "We love you, Q. This is something important to us and we just want to share it with you. You totally don't have to start eating tacos just because we're going to be dancing with a bunch of girls that like to."

Quinn huffed, knowing she'd already lost. How could she say no to that? Brittany was like fucking kryptonite. Plus, she had to give it to Santana; she'd stuck around for Quinn since school started. She and Brittany were more or less out and it had given her Latin friend new prospective. Even if the other girl did think Quinn was a little crazy for the duds and hair, she was determined to stick behind her friend in a way she hadn't always done before. Quinn had to admit, she'd become reliable in a way only Santana could be. She could support her friends in this, it was just for one night after all. "Okay, B. What time is this thing going down?"

**RQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQ**

They'd been in the old warehouse for about an hour. Santana had fully amerced herself into her environment, happily taking Brittany to the dance floor and groping the tall blonde in ways Quinn had never seen her do in public. It wasn't that the couple had never danced sexily before, but it was the first time they had done it without the guise of doing it to appease a bunch of horny teenage boys. The pink-haired girl was a little in awe of it all. For the first time, it was like she was seeing Santana truly happy. Her friend looked as if she was where she belonged. When the Latina placed a soft kiss to the taller girl's lips, Quinn actually smiled at the sight.

She was pulled out of her inner thoughts as the music began to die down which for some odd reason, prompted to crowd of women to cheer. Confused at the sudden change of pace, Santana laced her fingers with Brittany and lead her back to where Quinn stood, nursing a beer off to the side.

"What's up ladies," a voice filtered through the speakers. The crowd got loud again in response. "I'm your DJ Dakota Blue and as always I'm glad to be here delivering my hot mixes for this lovely crowd." Quinn caught sight of the DJ, standing at her laptop. The woman had a pretty bronze tone to her complexion. She was fairly petite and maybe a few inches taller than herself. She had a mess of black curls sprawling down to her shoulders and was wearing a black t-shirt with the words 'FALL FROM GRACE' scripted in white across the front, along with black jeans, and purple high tops. There was a trail of vines and roses starting just above her left elbow and leading up past the sleeve of her t-shirt. Quinn had to admit the girl was pretty. She sort of envied this woman for being so free, yet making it seem so easy because as hard as she tried to look like she didn't care about what people thought of her anymore, she did. "So you regulars know what time it is, right?" The woman chuckled into the microphone when the crowd of women began to applaud. "That's right. It's time for my future second wife, not my last mind you, to come up on this stage and do her thing. So make some noise for Rach-B." And yet again, the crowd gladly showed their excitement as the somewhat shorter woman's figure came onto the stage holding what Quinn assumed was a beer in her hand.

The first thing the former cheerleader noticed about her ensemble was the black skinny jeans that seemed to hug her hips, thighs and yes her ass, just right. She was wearing some kind of black heel, but Quinn was too far away to notice anything other than they were black. On the top half of her was a black button up tailor cut woman's black business like jacket with only a few of the middle buttons done, exposing a red top under it. There was a loose red necktie lazily thrown on. The girl's hair was pinned back into a tight bun and atop her head sat a black fedora.

As the music began to play Santana and Brittany seemed to get just as excited as the rest of the crowd. Her Latin friend began to hold up her hand and sway to the beat and the tall blonde followed suit. Apparently they knew the song, while she obviously didn't.

_Woohoo, woohoo, woohoo_

Quinn watched the girl on the stage intently. She was looking to the floor, swaying to the track; that is until it was time to actually sing the lyrics of the song into her headset and she began gyrating across the stage.

_You know you really wanna (HEY) wanna taste my (woohoo)  
>You know you wanna get a peak wanna see my (woohoo)<br>You know you wanna put your lips where my hips are (woohoo) kiss on my (woohoo) all over my (woohoo) All the girls think its cake when they taste my (woohoo)  
>You don't even need a plate, just your face HA ! (woohoo)<br>Licky licky yum yum what a great gal (woohoo)  
>Now kiss on my (woohoo) all over my (woohoo)<br>K-Kiss on my (woohoo) all over my (woohoo) k-k-kiss on my (woohoo) all over my (woohoo)  
>(hey, hey, hey)<em>

The words of the song alone almost had former blonde dropping to the floor, however; who was singing them nearly had her catatonic. She looked over at her friends seeing that Santana looked just as disturbed by what was going on, making Quinn relieved that it wasn't just her that was weirded out by what was going on in front of them. Brittany, however, looked like she'd just won the lottery, not taking her eyes off the singer for one second. There were obviously backup vocals on a track but that voice still penetrated it all.

_Feel your eyes on me everywhere I go (woohoo)  
>Like a lil' boy up in a candy store (woohoo)<br>C-C-Craving to get your hands on (woohoo) give it up before my momma says no (woohoo)  
>I'm a let you get it a lil' closer (woohoo) even though I ain't suppose to (woohoo)<br>_

The girl on stage began to descend the stairs that led to the dance floor. It seemed like a regular thing, like the crowd knew what to do. For the first time ever, the two Cheerios, along with the recently self-proclaimed badass saw a room full of people part like the red sea for the one of the last people she ever would have expected for; at least not anywhere in Ohio.

_I like it strong when It's on, girls (woohoo)_

Yes, it was Rachel Barbra Berry strutting like a sex kitten and raising her bottle as she delivered the line, _I'm a lll' tipsy play along wit me (woohoo).  
><em>

Now she passed the bottle off to some random girl in the crowd before undoing the few done buttons on her jacket and tossing it to aside, leaving the red spaghetti strap she wore exposed for all to see.

_You know you wanna get a peak wanna see my (woohoo)  
>You know you wanna put your lips where my hips are (woohoo) kiss on my (woohoo) all over my (woohoo) All the girls think its cake when they taste my (woohoo)<br>You don't even need a plate, just your face HA ! (woohoo)  
>Licky licky yum yum what a great gal (woohoo)<br>Now kiss on my (woohoo) all over my (woohoo) k-kiss on my (woohoo) all over my (woohoo) k-k-kiss on my (woohoo) all over my (woohoo)  
>(hey, hey, hey)<em>

They watched as the diva further loosened the necktie so she could slip it off and flip it over yet another random girl's head, draping it around the dark woman's neck.

_Pick your glass up, your sippin' kinda slow  
>Wanna see just how you take it down low (oh)<br>Hurry up I wanna see a bit more  
>Take it off before mama gets bored (oh, are ya ready)<br>I know that you love me long time yeah  
>You wanna take it for a ride yeah<br>I'm feeling bad and I Like it ,  
>I'm a lil' tipsy play along wit me (HEY)<br>_

She kissed two of her fingers and flirtatiously covered up a tall redhead's lips with them, leaving her with a wink. She continued singing and as she reached up to grab her fedora from her head, she revealed a look that said, 'I'm on the hunt'.

_You know you wanna get a peak wanna see my (woohoo)  
>You know you wanna put your lips where my hips are (woohoo) kiss on my (woohoo) all over my (woohoo) All the girls think its cake when they taste my (woohoo)<br>You don't even need a plate, just your face HA ! (woohoo)  
>Licky licky yum yum what a great gal (woohoo)<br>Now kiss on my (woohoo) all over my (woohoo)_

Rachel had come across a girl who was wearing a blue skirt, that Quinn thought was perfectly acceptable for a street walker, and coolly flipped the hat in her hand and placed it on the girl's head. Meanwhile it seemed like the Jewish girl was getting entirely too close to seeing them. She wasn't exactly sure why she cared, but she felt the need to slink into the crowd, to go unnoticed. Santana had the same idea, though Brittany did not. She wanted to be noticed. She wanted to say hi to their teammate and tell her how impressed she was with her performance. She wanted to tell her how incredibly hot she was in her outfit, but Santana and Quinn still dragged her out of Rachel's view hoping to blend in. Quinn knew the pink hair wasn't going to help with obscurity, which for the first time had her regretting that particular decision.

_All the ladies up in the place (HEY) it's your turn give the girls a little taste (HEY) of how it works  
>(whoa-)<em>

_I know I probably should, but (uh) I'm feeling good_  
><em>(whoa-)<em>

_I'm a lil' tipsy play along wit me_

With a thrust of her hips and a shake of her ass, the glee club captain suggestively leaned into what seemed to Quinn, like the hundredth female and brought their lips dangerously close to one another before spinning away with a devilish smirk on her face.

Now the DJ had cut in because apparently even seductive Rachel couldn't pull of rap.

_O-okay, guess who got that mhm-mhm nani-nani  
>In the Mondrian, mhm-mhm, in Miami<br>Whiz Galliano, whip-whip the Armani  
>In the drip-drip, lick-lick like a lolly<br>Or, left from Jamaica, go a foreign pan tour  
>Jimmy Iovine, Tom Wali and Dior<br>Keep me and Rachie in Christian Dior  
>But that was before, or, for you<br>My name Dakota, little mommy, and you?  
>You can do anything you put your mind to<br>Way you French kiss it, "français parlez vous"  
>Way you work your tongue can I hire you?<em>

Throughout Dakota's part, the little brunette had unpinned the bun in the back of her head and shaken out her hair by whipping her neck around before further aiding herself by using her hands to really let it down. Quinn almost laughed thinking about how Finn used to always complain that Rachel was too intense and needed to let her hair down. Now here she was literally doing just that and him nowhere in sight, yet oddly enough in front of her, even if unknowingly.

_You know you wanna get a peak wanna see my (woohoo)  
>You know you wanna put your lips where my hips are (woohoo) kiss on my (woohoo) all over my (woohoo) all the girls think its cake when they taste my (woohoo)<br>You don't even need a plate, just your face HA ! (woohoo)  
>Licky licky yum yum what a great gal (woohoo)<br>Now kiss on my (woohoo) all over my (woohoo)_

Now she was being just plain raunchy as she danced with a woman that seemed all too familiar to her; like they knew each other from more than just some groupie in the audience all over an infatuating singer. Was Rachel infatuating? Quinn hated the thought all together.

_WOOO!_

_Wanna taste my (woohoo)  
>Wanna taste my (woohoo)<br>Wanna see my (woohoo)  
>(you ready )<br>all my ladies say (woohoo)  
>If you gotta great (woohoo)<br>Let him get a peak (woohoo)  
>If you gotta sweet (woohoo)<em>  
>Let me hear you scream (woohoo)<br>But bitches keep it clean (laughs) (woohoo)

The music died and all she could do was stare as Rachel pecked the other girl on the lips before grabbing her hand and leading her to the DJ booth. The girl was gorgeous and Quinn already hated her. She was at least five foot seven, in black and white sneakers with a red heart on each side of all things. Her blue jeans were too damn tight and the red top she was wearing was showcasing her breasts on a slutty level. Then there was the hair. Shiny choppy layers light brown hair ending just below the neck. Her skin tone was almost as light as Quinn's, though not quite.

The music had yet to start playing again but the room was abuzz making it almost just as hard to hear. Though it wasn't so loud that she couldn't hear Santana voice the very thing she was thinking. "What the fuck was that?"

"Rachel being really hot," said Brittany in a factual tone.

"The question is when the hell did that happen and why haven't we been privy to it?" Santana answered.

"But you said liking sweet lady kisses didn't make us pervy," Brittany asked confused.

"It doesn't, B. I just meant how come we didn't know about Berry's Friday nights as a cabaret dancer for the lesbian kind. And as much as I'm morally against saying it, if I didn't have Britts, I'd totes eat Berry's taco."

"Really?" Brittany said excitedly, "You should ask her on Sunday if she wants to have sexy times with us."

"No," Quinn finally spoke. Santana looked at her with a smirk like she knew something but Quinn readily ignored it. "I mean she's still the same annoying Rachel she's always been. Come Monday at school she'll be her usual self and you'll continue to tell her to shut up every five minutes between insults."

"Of course I'll insult her, it's my thing. I'll just be imaging some of the naughty things B and I can do with her at the same time."

"We can totally do the thing wi…."

"Over share, Britt," Quinn said as nicely as she could muster. She didn't want to think about Brittana sex, much less adding Rachel into the mix.

"Oh look, she's leaving. Can we go tell her how good she was?" Quinn looked over to the entrance and sure enough she and the same slutty girl from before were heading outside, both busily putting on coats.

"Let's not let her know we saw her yet, B," said Quinn. "Let's just go and, I don't know, see her out." Quinn was curious but she wasn't ready to let the diva know she'd watched her little performance. Why, she had no idea but that was just how she felt.

"Okay," Brittany said with no real disappointment. Santana didn't question because she was curious as well. She was back to being HBIC and it was her business to know these thing and she was a little pissed that this was new to her.

As the music began to pick up again, the girls attempted to stealthily get out of the building quickly in order to see Rachel off but not to be seen by her. When they got out side they heard the familiar laugh along with the sound of a motor cycle. The trio tried to hide behind a black Kia Sportage.

"I can't believe you're ready to go already," an unfamiliar voice spoke.

"I wanna get ready for the girls, we have a lot going on this weekend," said Rachel.

"Ever the planner," the other girl mocked.

"Well yeah. And I plan on taking a nice bubble bath. Play your cards just right, and I may let you join me," the smaller girl said seductively. "Provided we have enough time before the others make it home."

"Get on sweet Berry," giggled the taller girl. "You're riding bitch."

"I always ride bitch."

"If you refuse to learn how to drive it, then you're stuck being my bitch"

"I wonder what Dakota would have to say about that," Rachel said cheekily.

"She'd agree, but she's gonna be pissy she missed out on bath time," she chuckled.

"Meanwhile, we're getting less and less time to defile my bathtub before the others interrupted with all this bantering we're doing. Step on it already, Farah," she said impatiently as she thrust her helmet on her head.

"Alright, alright, I'm going you nympho. Hold on tight." she laughed, putting her own helmet on, just before they drove off.

As the three girls relinquished their hiding spot Quinn looked at her two friends and said slowly "Who the hell was that?"

"I guess our little Berry gots game," Santana smirked at the former blonde.

* * *

><p><strong>Rachel is going to slip in and out of character in this story, for reasons that will become known as it continues.<strong>

**Faberry is endgame, though they won't be jumping right into each other's arms.**

**This is mostly from Quinn's point of view because I want you to find out about Rachel as she does.**

**I do have OCs and four of them are fairly major players in this story. One is based off of a good friend of mine, DylanDahl, who has also helped me a great deal with this story. She's just as invested in this as me. One other is based on myself because I'm a narcissist and Dylan and I have a friendship that is just really fun to write. The OC's are important in the grand scheme of things so be patient. I hope you like them either way.**

**Thanks to SuperZeroxx because she inspired me to feel comfortable about using my friend and I in a fic.**

**I have a good five chapters already written but look out for this about once a week.**

**Please Review, Review, Review. **


	2. Our Lives in Motion

**Title:** When Secrets Come Out to Play

**Chapter 2/?** : Our Lives in Motion

**Fandom:** Glee  
><strong>Pairings: <strong>Rachel Berry /Quinn Fabray Side Brittany/ Santana Rachel/Others Quinn/OC  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 for sexual themes and eventual smutt.  
><strong>Word Length<strong>: 2000+ per chapter.  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Quinn puts her quest to find herself on hold in order to figure out the suddenly more mysterious Rachel Berry. She soon finds that there is more to the little brunette than she ever thought possible. Perhaps she'll even figure herself out on the way. Punk!Quinn Simi-Baddass!Rachel.

**Spoilers: **All aired episodes, only a few things from season three as it's AU for the most part. **NO LUCY CABOOSY!**

**Thanks to t8kmybreathaway for doing some great beta work.**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "Glee", if I did it would be even gayer if at all possible. I do own the OC's.

It took most of Saturday for Quinn and Santana to decide that they needed more information. Santana felt like as the top of the school social latter, she should be informed on all things remotely enticing. It wasn't cool that Berry had all this shit going on outside of school and she had no idea. She needed to know all the details.

Quinn just wanted to knock miss perfect goody goody off of her pedestal. They all thought the girl was such a nice clean girl, yet there she was drinking and partying. Not only that, but she was flirting with woman after woman like it was nothing, but when it came to school and glee, she acted like she was the sweet virgin girl, who never did anything quite like the things she did the Friday before. Okay, so she was perhaps giving herself false reasons to nose her way into the diva's non-school life, but that didn't matter.

Brittany was meeting up with Tina to start working on their song, while Quinn and Artie had met up on Saturday and then agreed to meet again Monday at lunch. So she elected herself to accompany Santana to Rachel's house. They went two hours earlier than planned. Santana said she wanted to catch the singer off guard.

Santana rang the doorbell, while Quinn fidgeted next to her in the cold October air. Santana impatiently rang the bell again. "Stop that," Quinn hissed. "She isn't expecting you yet, just chill."

"I got it," they heard from inside the house. The door opened revealing the DJ from the night before. The young woman looked the pair up and down with a neutral face. One Quinn had been used to giving, not receiving. "Can I help you?" She almost looked board. "Selling girl scout cookies?"

"Pssh, like I was ever a damn girl scout," said the Latina incredulously.

"Excuse her," Quinn quickly cut in. "She's got a filter issue."

"I keeps it real," Santana shot back.

"Anyway, we're looking for Rachel. They have a school project to work on and I'm just tagging along," stated Quinn.

"Right," the DJ drawled. "Ray, you got two girl scouts at the door. Something about a project for school," yelled the woman.

"That's not until two," Rachel hollered from in the house.

"Well come tell her that, she brought a little friend with her, she says she's _tagging_ along."

"Fine," Rachel's voice rang out again. "Tell Santana and Brittany to have a seat in the living room. I'll be down in a minute."

"Or ten," another voice said loudly as Dakota stepped aside to let the two girls in.

"Babe you better not be backtracking up there. Get your tongue away from Rachel so we can eat already," Dakota yelled.

"That's what I'm trying to do. She's the best cure for a hangover." the woman laughed from upstairs.

"She is doing no such thing," Rachel yelled down the stairs. "Behave, we have company." The diva began to descend the stairs slowly. She was nervous and biting down on her lip.

Seeing the change in her friend's demeanor, Dakota gave the little brunette a quick peck on the cheek and whispered something into her ear before disappearing into the kitchen. Rachel shyly looked to the floor for a few seconds before finally looking to the Latina, "Hello Santana." She turned to see Quinn and said, "Oh, I assumed you would be Brittany. Hello Quinn." She looked back to Santana. "I do believe you are two hours early Santana. If I had known I would have been better prepared for you, though I appreciate that you are not late for our meeting." The visitors took note of Rachel's fitted yellow t-shirt and loose gray sweat pants.

"Yeah, well Brittany's dealing with the girl half of Asian Fusion and Q and I had nothing to do, so we thought I should just get this over with. She's here to make sure I don't snap from hearing your mind numbing voice for too long and beat you to death with one of your singing trophies." Quinn tried not to laugh at Santana's explanation.

"I assure you that I do not need Quinn to protect me from you Santana," said Rachel. At first she was intimidated by having the two girls in her home before the appointed time. She had never been worried about anyone from school popping up unannounced because they rarely willing wanted to be in her presence, much less her home. Though, this was her house damn it. This was her house and she had her own back up if needed.

"You're kind of hot when you get all tough, Berry," Santana grinned and nudged at a quiet Quinn.

Rachel went to open her mouth but was cut off by the slew of giggles coming down the stairs. The woman with the motorcycle from the night before followed by a tall young heavyset black woman and a slender blonde made their way down the steps. "Hello there," said the black girl, showing off a full set of teeth with a slight gap in the front.

"Hey ladies," said the blonde, flipping the hair that flowed down to her bottom.

As they approached the girls, Farah slung her arm over Rachel's shoulders. "You must be the girl scouts," she gave a lazy smile. "Put me down for some thin mints."

"You're such a dork," the black girl joked. "Leave Ray's little school friends alone. You girls hungry? We're gonna have brunch in just a bit."

"No thanks," Quinn said, feeling out of her element in ways she never felt before. "Don't want to be any trouble."

"Girl, if it was trouble, she wouldn't have asked in the first place," said the blonde, her brown eyes showing her slight annoyance. "What the hell am I saying? She still would have asked."

"Dakota's in there finishing some things up, but Dylan and I have been hooking it up in there." The black woman motioned toward the skinny blonde. "We have to represent non-vegans, you know?"

"We love Ray but I love my meat," Dylan laughed out loud, holding on to her black friend's hand.

"I swear Dakota and I are the only civilized people out of all of us," Rachel chimed in.

"I'm plenty civilized," said Farah with false anger. "At least we don't eat pork around your ass."

"Thankfully," the small brunette rolled her eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm so rude," the black woman began to speak again, using her free hand to brush a few loose burgundy and black braids out from in front of her face. "I'm Rachel's cousin, Lorna," At seeing some of the confusion on the visiting girls' faces she clarified, "Through my uncle Leroy….You know the tall black man in the family portrait?" She giggled and pointed to the picture on the mantle of her Uncle's Hiram and Leroy with a five year-old Rachel. The girls seemed to gain some understanding. "And this is Dylan," she motioned to her blonde buddy. "And that crazy thing is Farah."

"Sorry," Rachel began. "Everything started happening all at once. This is Santana," she pointed at the cheerleading co-captain, "and this is Quinn." She now motioned at the girl with the pink hair.

"I'm digging the pink," said Farah.

"Thanks," Quinn replied. She wasn't entirely impressed by the woman with her arm draped around Rachel's shoulders.

"I did the blue thing during my junior year; thought the chicks would be into it." Farah returned.

"You wanted to piss off your daddy," Rachel corrected. The easy chatter wasn't lost on the former Cheerio. She was almost aggravated listening to Rachel easily speak in a way that she never got the chance to hear from her at school.

"And I wanted to piss Jim off," the biker amended. "Totally worked," she sing songed. "On both counts."

"Dakota stuck her head out from the kitchen and declared, "Get your pretty asses in here so we can eat. Ray, get you friends in gear."

"Uh oh, Blue's getting grumpy. We better get in there. Come on wifey," Lorna began to tug at Dylan's hand, dragging her to the kitchen.

"Yeah, I'm gonna get in there. My baby isn't at her happiest when she's hungry." She followed the other two into the kitchen.

This perturbed the two girls on the couch. Weren't Rachel and that Farah girl, in Santana's words,' getting it on'? Yet Dakota seemed to be with Farah. It was a confusing dynamic at the very least.

"Uh, so you are welcome to join us," stated Rachel. "We have until two and we all planned this brunch accordingly. I assure you we have plenty to go around."

"Hells yeah little Berry, I'm starving," Santana chuckled, going to join the others.

"I guess," said Quinn. "Since you have more than that vegan crap."

"The girls even have turkey bacon." Quinn arched a skeptical brow. "I'm half Jewiah alright? Not even my daddy Leroy eats pork anymore."

"And does daddy Leroy know about the little sorority life going on here," Quinn snarked.

"Both my fathers are aware of what goes on in this house in their absence. Well, maybe not everything but they've known the girls for years and they trust all of us. That isn't to say that they think that we're angelic, however they trust us not to do anything arrest worthy."

"I didn't ask for the whole book, Rachel. Goodness I just asked a simple yes or no question." Quinn had to fight from bringing up having seen the other girl the night before. The beer was most definitely arrest worthy in her eyes. And if Rachel's parents knew that she was doing whatever it was she was doing with these girls, she imagined that they wouldn't exactly approve.

"Well in my house. I have every right to talk the way I want," Rachel huffed. "If you don't like it, you know where the door is."

Quinn had to admire that the other girl wasn't taking her shit. "Fine, I could go for some of that turkey bacon."

The final two girls made it into the kitchen to see the others sitting around the table, filling their plates and making simple conversation. Quinn was shocked to see Santana eating home fries and scrambled eggs. She'd been on another one of Sue's crazy diets lately and only Brittany was able to get her to eat normally and even then it was almost restricted to fruit and breadsticks. Rachel passed off a plate to the girl with the pink do and grabbed them both a fork before they found themselves seats. Quinn sat next to Santana and Dakota with Rachel between her and Lorna, who was next to Dylan. Farah finished off the seating arrangement, sitting next to Santana.

"Lor, can you pass me the vegan pancakes and the fruit please," asked the brunette glee singer. Without verbal confirmation, the dark woman did as she was asked. "Thanks," said Rachel.

"I'll take the regular. Thank you," Farah said cockily before taking a huge bite of her syrupy pancake." She quickly chewed the contents in her mouth. "Mmm, good job, D."

"Thanks, hoe," the blonde joked.

"Well ain't that the slut calling the prostitute a whore," Lorna cracked at her blonde friend.

"And I'm very good at what I do, just ask my man," her friend laughed back, along with the rest of the table, well except for the Latina and her punk friend.

"Don't mind us," Lorna spoke over the group. "That's just how we are. Terms of endearment and all that."

Santana scrunched her face and looked at the women that were probably no more than a few years older than herself. "Yeah, so I'm just gonna go on and ask. What's up with you and blondie locks?" She motioned toward the black woman. "She has a man but you call her wifey and you're all like touchy feely."

"We're soul mates," the blonde said simply as if it were obvious.

"Best friends. Go to gals," added Lorna.

"Oh."

"Don't worry. You aren't the first to make that mistake and you won't be the last," replied the girl with the braids.

"And you don't care what people have to say about that? People must think you're total mo's," Santana's curiosity was getting the best of her.

"Hey," Dakota spoke up.

Quinn was about to make an excuse for her friend's words but it was Lorna that spoke up first. "Well this house is full of lady lovers with a couple of crosses in between. If you got a problem…"

"You can get your little ass gone," the blonde bit out.

"Relax Malibu Barbie, I was just asking a question," Santana shot back.

"Show some damn respect because I'll cut a minor."

"I'll go all Lima Heights on you bitch," Santana stood up.

"Please, little girl, I grew up in Lima Heights and it ain't no ghetto."

"You sure talk like it is," the Cheerio pointed out. That was a thing everyone seemed to notice about Lorna and Dylan. Lorna's speech defied stereotypes. She was well versed on the importance of speaking properly, while her blonde friend tended to talk like she was straight out of a southern ghetto.

"Calm yourselves," Rachel yelled above the commotion. "This is just Santana being Santana and Dylan being Dylan."

"See,D? I told you someone was gonna give you a run for your money," Farah laughed.

"Let it go, Fare," Lorna warned.

The two brooding females sat back in their chairs, letting their anger dissipate. "So," Dakota began, attempting to turn things around. "Ray, you planning on singing anything this year at sectionals?"

"No, I'm not too worried about it. Blaine and Kurt are doing a duet, and Mercedes is doing the Solo." She said non-committedly.

"She's the one that always gets the end notes, right?"

"Not this time," replied the glee club captain.

"From what I've heard, the girl has a pretty decent set of pipes," Dakota added.

"She does. Actually at last year's sectionals, Quinn and her ex sang a duet. Santana had a solo as well," said Rachel.

"Oh, yeah we saw that. You all did great," said the black woman. The other occupants of the table followed suit.

"Thanks," the two guests mumbled.

"We would have gone to Nationals to see you guys but we all had school and work," Dakota chimed in.

"We lost anyway," Santana said sourly. "Finn and Rachel couldn't keep their lips off each other."

A resounding "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" was heard around the table.

"I thought we booted gorilla boy once and for all," spat Farah.

"Stop that," stated Rachel, trying to stifle a giggle.

"I know you like charity work girl, but that one should get you a free pass for life," Dylan threw in.

"That's mean," the small brunette chided.

"Since when did I claim to be nice?" Was shot back.

"Really Ray, you could do so much better, or at least smarter. God knows I can't stand that prick Jesse but even his dumb ass could outsmart Finny boy." This was Farah again.

"Finn is not stupid," Rachel defended.

"The dude who thought he knocked up his girlfriend by jizzing in a hot tub, right," Farah joked.

Quinn had been fairly quiet, content to observe her surroundings, but at that mention, she found herself stiffening in her seat, while both Santana and Rachel looked to her with concern.

"What? What did I say?" the biker looked perplexed.

Quinn sat up in her chair and attempted to muster up some false confidence. "I'm the girl that got knocked up."

"Well congratulations on dodging that bullet, lucky for you he wasn't the daddy," Dakota tried to add humor to the tense moment.

"Twice, was it?" Farah couldn't help but run her mouth.

"Shut up, Farah," Rachel hissed quietly.

"Hey it took Ray a few times to get the creature out of her system, so don't feel bad," Lorna tried to smooth over. "Besides, Farah here has never been one to learn her lesson on the first try."

Farah flipped her off. "Hard headed bitches shouldn't throw stones missy."

"Hey I know my sex life is screwed up, I don't deny it," Lorna defended.

"That's what I thought."

"Quit picking on my hubby," Dylan spoke up. "I don't know about the two of them," she pointed at Quinn and Santana, "but the rest of us have all had messed up love lives at one point or another."

"I never said anything about love," Lorna stressed.

"Sure baby girl," the blonde condescended. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"Anyway," Rachel cut in again. "Let's finish this up. Santana and I do have work to do at some point. And the rest of you all had plans, am I right?"

"Dakota and I are going on a bike ride and catching a couple movies," Farah smiled almost childlike.

"And you two?" Rachel looked over at the blonde and Lorna.

"Antonio gave me some plastic, so I want to give it a little work out," Dylan chuckled. "There's a trip to the mall in our near future."

"It's a good thing you got yourself a guy with cash to keep up with your high maintenance ass," Farah snorted.

"That's right, girl," Dylan agreed, rather than getting offended. "Rach, I'll pick up that sexy little number you were eyeing last week."

"I don't need your boyfriend buying my outfits," huffed Rachel.

"Technically I'm buying it; he's just paying for it."

"I don't need him to pay for it either."

"She's going to get it anyway so just smile and nod," interjected Lorna.

"Great," Santana jumped in. "A new school outfit. She could really use a few."

"Oh hell no, she better not," Dylan raised her voice. "If she comes home covered in whatever that crap is she's always trying to hide on her 'normal' school clothes and she's wearing an outfit I got her, I'll go to jail for fucking up some little high school kid's face."

The table fell into silence. That was something they never actually talked about. Rachel didn't want to broach the topic and none of the other's wanted to push her. Dylan just couldn't help the outburst this time. Santana just brought the comment out of her.

"Like being bitch-slapped by an iceberg," said Quinn, for the first time attempting a joke. When Rachel began to laugh, so did everyone else.

* * *

><p>Quinn had been pretending to read a book while listening to a surprisingly agreeable collaboration of the small brunette and the raven-haired Cheerio. Rachel had agreed to preform "Missunaztood" by Pink. It was far from a Rachel Berry glee club performance piece, but then Quinn remembered Rachel's performance from a couple of days prior and decided that this was fairly tame in comparison.<p>

It was an hour and a half after the other girls had left the house that Tina dropped Brittany off. That was when the girl with the pink hair stopped her charade of indifference and began to chat with the blonde dancer. There were no mentions of Friday night, though Brittany had almost spilled about their attendance more than once.

They had actually ironed out all the details and gone over the song a few good times before the Lorna and Dylan showed up with arms full of shopping bags. They introduced themselves to Brittany before heading up the stairs to unleash their loot. It was after seven by then, so they all decided to call it a night. Rachel and Santana agreed to meet during their coinciding free periods to finish rehearsing.

They performed on Wednesday citing that the song spoke for itself. Mr. Schuster was less than impressed at what he felt was Rachel's lack of attention to the week's assignment. There were whispers throughout the room as Brittany clapped and whooped, and Rachel gracefully took a seat without as much as a hint of outward annoyance. Santana displayed enough for the two of them and then some.

* * *

><p>On Friday afternoon, Quinn had just finished a smoke when she heard the two climbing up the bleachers. Once they'd sat down there was silent for a few minutes until finally, "You said that you wanted to talk so I suggest we do that before our free period is over. "<p>

"Yeah, um…well Mr. Schu wanted me to make sure everything was good with you," Finn mumbled.

"And why, pray tell, would he ask that of you," Rachel asked a little snarkily, though it went right over the tall boy's head.

"Well…you've kinda been acting weird. You don't like…care the way you used to."

"I assure you that I care just as much as I ever had," the girl defended. "I just figured it would be a nice change of pace to let go of some of the control and relax."

"But you're Rachel. You like, live for this stuff. I mean, it's not fair to stick Mr. Schuster with all the work. You're co-captain."

"I am hardly abandoning my role as co-captain, however if you, Mr. Schuster, or anyone else feels as if I am failing to fulfill my duties, then by all means ask me to forfeit my title. I'm completely open to giving someone else a chance, though originally nobody else was up to that particular task," said the brunette girl. "You weren't even up for it in the beginning."

"But you said you were, so you need to do that crazy thing you do to fix everything."

"First of all, you can step up too you know? You _are _the other captain. Besides, I won't be here next year. Mr. Shuster is going to have to take charge at that time anyway so he may as well start now." Quinn tried not to snort at the other girl's words. She'd thought the same in the past.

"Rach, I said we could get back together if that's what this, whatever this is, is about."

"I'll have you know that you and I have nothing to do with my newly adopted 'go with the flow' attitude toward glee," she responded. "It isn't like my former behavior was enjoyed by our fellow glee clubbers, nor was it appreciated by Mr. Schu. I believe I was told to be a team player in one instance and in another told that my attitude sucks."

"Dude, it's our last year. We can be a glee super couple and go out with a bang. Forget all that other stuff."

Rachel sighed at the thought of having this conversation, yet again. "Like I told you at the beginning of the summer; you and I are not good to or for each other. We will never be together again, so we should try to make due as friends."

"But I don't get it. The only time you didn't like…. chase after me is when you were dating Jesse."

"I'm not."

"Then why?"

"Finn our relationship has proven to be more negative than positive. It's brought out the worst in both of us and we hurt each other over and over again."

"That's not true, Rach," the boy said gruffly. "We were good together."

"When you were dumping me to go out on dates with Santana and Brittany, or when you were lying to me about being a virgin," she half yelled. Quinn couldn't help but be a little proud of the diva for saying what nobody else would.

"You only cared because it was Santana."

"I cared because you lied," she was obviously angry now. "And yes it hurt that you slept with one of the girls you dumped me for even if I was with someone else at the time."

"So you turn around and made out with Puck knowing how it would hurt me!" This time he yelled.

"Yes and I was wrong. It was another way I disappointed you. So you see, we just can't make each other happy for long," she lowered her voice in hopes that Finn would do the same.

His voice sounded sympathetic when he said, "We can get over all of that."

"No," she said quietly yet sternly. "I can't get over the fact that I begged you to take me back and got constantly rejected until Jesse was back in the picture. I can't get over the fact that you broke up with me for something you turned around and encouraged Quinn to do. I can't just get over the fact that even though you were dating her, I had to be the one to tell you what kind of corsage to get her because you were too busy whining about her to figure it out for yourself."

_Really, _Quinn thought bitterly from her spot under the bleachers. _That was the only thing he did right that night and it was __**her **__idea? _

"And I sure as hell can't forget that you ruined prom for both of us because you couldn't decide who you wanted to be with. God Finn, you broke up with the girl at a funeral!"

"Why do you even care? It's not like you two are close or anything."

"That doesn't matter. She's still a girl with feelings," the girl stressed. Quinn winced. She'd rarely considered the brunette's feelings, though that was mainly because she'd spent most of high school pretending her own were neutral.

"Okay I get it. I'm sorry. If you want I can like tell her sorry or whatever, but the club is always at its best when we're together," the quarterback tried to reason.

"I encourage you to seek forgiveness from Quinn, though I won't date you again. Glee was good with or without us as a couple and even if what you said was true, I wasn't at my best when we were together, or when I was chasing after you. I deserve a chance to be me again."

"This isn't you. Not the Rachel any of us know. Only you're still selfish. You still want everything to be about you, but this is about the team."

"Me dating someone _**is**_about me. It would have nothing to do with the team," Rachel scoffed. Quinn silently did the same from beneath her. This was classic Finn Hudson. He wanted what he wanted and it didn't matter how it affected anyone else as long as he could portray the good natured boy who's good intentions simply went awry. But Rachel was now more than ever aware of what the saying 'the road to Hell is paved with good intentions' meant. And though she tried to always give him the benefit of the doubt; sometimes she wasn't even completely sure that Finn always had good intentions anyway.

"Forget it, I'm outa here," he huffed before standing up and marching down the bleachers.

Rachel remained sitting as she watched him stomp over to the gym doors and disappearing behind them.

"If it's any consolation, you were right about everything, and yes it physically hurts to say those words out loud," Quinn spoke through the silence.

Rachel jumped in her seat with a quick deep breath before looking down and catching a glimpse of pink. "Goodness Quinn, you scared me half to death."

"There's my drama queen," she said dubiously in return. "I wasn't eavesdropping…..Okay I was but it's not like you don't know this is kind of my place."

"And where are the skanks spending their time these days?"

"They're on a lunch money run in the bathroom right about now," Quinn said without a hint of a smile.

"Of course," the shorter girl said from her spot on the bleachers, now looking back to the field.

"I know you think I was just being a bitch when I told you that you didn't belong here, Rachel," Quinn said with as little emotion as she could, but damn if it wasn't hard to keep her voice in check. "Part of me was trying to get you to let go of Finn for me, but you do deserve better than he can give you." She tugged at her bomber jacket sleeve as a way to keep her eyes from trailing to Rachel's form above her. "Better than Lima can give you. You've got the goods to do something more with yourself than most of us."

"So I've been told," the other girl said plainly. "I'm starting to really believe that…at least about the Finn stuff. I've always believed the rest. Maybe you should realize the same for yourself."

"I'm working on it."

"Good, but don't think you have to have a nose ring and pink hair to do it. Not that I don't find the look rather thrilling, it's just that's not what's going to get you out of here. You can do that regardless of what you look like. You have the drive; you just have to tap into it." Rachel said it with conviction.

The tone of her voice almost made Quinn come up and join her because nobody but Rachel had ever said they believed in her in a way that she actually believed it. But as much as the old version of Quinn hid her feelings, this version of herself was working with Fort Knox. She'd already promised herself that she wouldn't, not with _her_, not again. She'd been weak with her in the past, accidently allowing her enemy to see inside of her during little moment in private, but she was determined not to repeat those actions with anyone, especially Rachel. Finn had asked her if she felt anything anymore, and as much as she wanted not to, she had. She had felt the pain, just like she always had and she'd cracked. She had cracked right in front of him and it was all _**Rachel's **_fault.

"Yeah well, we'll see." She left without as much as a goodbye.

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, I borrowed the iceberg line. I believe it was originally said by Lea Michele, though I couldn't bet on it. <strong>

**Thanks for reading. I hope you're enjoying or at least still interested. Please leave me a review if you have the time. I'm open to answering questions about the chapter providing they don't involve spoiling the rest of the story.**


	3. Smooth Operator

**Title:** When Secrets Come Out to Play

**Chapter 3/?** : Smooth Operator

**Fandom:** Glee  
><strong>Pairings: <strong>Rachel Berry /Quinn Fabray Side Brittany/ Santana Rachel/Others Quinn/OC  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 for sexual themes and eventual smutt.  
><strong>Word Length<strong>: 2000+ per chapter.  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Quinn puts her quest to find herself on hold in order to figure out the suddenly more mysterious Rachel Berry. She soon finds that there is more to the little brunette than she ever thought possible. Perhaps she'll even figure herself out on the way. Punk!Quinn Semi-Baddass!Rachel.

**Spoilers: **All aired episodes, only a few things from season three as it's AU for the most part. **NO LUCY CABOOSY!**

**Thanks to t8kmybreathaway for doing some great beta work.**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "Glee", if I did it would be a lesbian central. I don't own the song "Nasty Naughty Boy" either. That's all Christina Aguilera. I changed the male pronouns to female though. I do own the OC's.

**Thanks a bunch for all the alerts, faves, and great reviews. You are all rock stars**.

Quinn wasn't at all surprised that Brittany and Santana were going to go back to the warehouse that night. They'd had a great time and Santana had seemed somehow freer in that environment, hell even at Rachel's house, than the former head Cheerio had ever seen. She was glad when Brittany asked her to go along with them again however, she hadn't been ready for the implications that would be considered had she offered to go without prompting.

So for the second week in a row, the girls found themselves meeting up at Brittany's place and riding in Santana's red BMW. Santana and Quinn figured that they wouldn't hide this time around. They'd go and wait to see the shocked expression on the little singer's face when she saw them there with knowledge of even more of what she kept hidden. It would be fun toying with the girl and Brittany hadn't wanted to hide in the first place so they'd be appeasing her as well.

Santana did red best, and she knew as much, so she made it a point to wear a killer red strappy cocktail dress and matching pumps, letting her raven locks flow freely. Brittany wore a shiny light blue tank top and black pleather pants with shiny blue sneakers, her blonde hair loose as well. Quinn on the other hand, had gone less flashy. She sported ripped acid washed blue jeans, her black tennis shoes, brown bomber jacket, and a black t-shirt with white script that read, 'Zombies Make Better Boyfriends'. There was an image of blood dripping from the word zombies and random blood splatter in a few more areas. Her hair was a simply pinned on the side.

* * *

><p>"Alright ladies, and a few gentlemen," Dakota's voice pierced the air as the last of the previous song finished up. "I'm DJ Dakota Blue and most of you know what's up." The girls were ready this time. They knew what they were getting into. Santana and Brittany joined in on the cheering, while Quinn just stared intensely at the stage, waiting for the diva to make her appearance. "That's right, it's time for Rach-B to come up here and show what it's all about."<p>

Rachel was standing off to the side of the stage in a trench coat. Farah came on to the platform and placed a couple of fold out chairs in the center before quickly exiting.

Rachel had yet to appear on the stage when her voice was heard through the sound system.

"It turns out, I have some friends here tonight," she said lowly. "I'd like to invite a couple of them onto the stage to help me out with my song. Santana, Brittany, I'd appreciate your assistance." Not ten seconds later, the two girls in question were being escorted to the stage by Dylan and told to stand on the other end. Everyone cheered, while Quinn couldn't help but feel snippy about being left out. The music began to play and the pink-haired girl did manage to recognize the song this time, inwardly wondering what it was about Christina Aguilera that made Rachel perform her music two weeks in a row.

_**Come here baby girl  
>Ahh, mmmhmm, yeah<br>**_

It was husked into the headset as Rachel walked onto the stage, using her index finger to make a come hither motion at the girls across from her and motion for them to take a seat. The two Cheerios complied. Her trench coat dropped to the floor, revealing a steel boned purple corset with black trim and fishnet stockings. Quinn looked on, not able to stop herself from licking her lips.

_**You've been a bad bad girl  
>I'm gonna take my time, so enjoy<strong>_

She sang directly gliding the fingertips of her right hand down Brittany's arm, causing the girl to bite her lip.

_**There's no need to feel no shame  
>Relax and sip upon my champagne<strong>_

Rachel wriggled her body sexily, until she was squatting in front of the blonde and then worked her way back up.

_**'Cause I wanna give you a little taste  
>Of the sugar below my waist, you nasty girl<strong>_

She slipped over to the Latina, hovering her butt over the Cheerios co-captain's lap.

**_I'll give you some oh-la-la_**

With each la, was a swish of her hips from side to side, slipping behind the girl, she sang into her ear, _**Voulez vous coucher avec moi?**_

Rachel stepped to the beat in her purple stilettos fanning herself as she delivered the lines, _**  
><strong>_

_**I got you breaking into a sweat  
>Got you hot, bothered, and wet<br>You nasty girl  
><strong>_

Santana's smile was wide as she watched the shorter girl licentiously moved back over to her blonde girlfriend and Quinn just wanted to slap it off of her face._**  
><strong>_

_**Nasty naughty girl  
><strong>_

She tangled her fingers through Brittany's hair._**  
><strong>_

_**Oh baby for all it's worth  
>I swear I'll be the first to<strong>_

Rachel gently jerked Brittany's head along with the pulse of the words, _**blow your mind,**_ she sang, before releasing her hold and putting distance between herself and the cheerleaders in order to simultaneously fully face her audience and give the aforementioned girls a great view of her posterior.

_**Now if you're ready, come and get me  
>I'll give you that hot, sweet, sexy loving (loving)<br>**_

Now the glee club co-captain sang to the crowd while eyeing random young woman as if she were singing just for them. Briefly placing her right index finger to the small microphone in front of her lips,

_**Hush now, don't say a word  
>I'm gonna give you what you deserve<br>Now you better give me a little taste  
>Put your icing on my cake<br>You nasty girl**_

She backed herself up over to Santana,_** Oh no, oh there I go again, **_she sangslowly bending over._**  
><strong>_

_**I need a spanking, **_

Santana actually had the audacity to give the girl's ass a pop with her hand. The pink-haired girl's eyes narrowed at the sight. Her body was over heating with what she assumed was annoyance. What was Santana thinking, doing that in front of Britt? She ignored the fact the blue-eyed girl was enjoying herself just as much as the Latina.

_**'cause I've been bad**_

She walked her fingers up Santana's arm singing, _**So let my body do the talkin' I'll slip you that hot, sweet, sexy loving**_ from her lap she continued.

_**Ohh ha!**_  
><em><strong>Come on mami!<strong>_  
><em><strong>Ohh ohh, ohh ohh oh yeah<strong>_  
><em><strong>Oh yeaah oh, come on, sugar<strong>_

_**I got you breaking into a sweat**_  
><em><strong>Got you hot, bothered, and wet<strong>_  
><em><strong>You nasty girl<strong>_

She stood back up and grabbed hold of both girls' hands, leading them out of their seats.

_**Nasty naughty girl  
>Naughty girl<br>**_

Now she was straddling the blonde's abandoned chair.

_**Oh baby for all it's worth**_

Smoothly, she arched her back so that she had an upside down view of audience.

_**I swear I'll be the first to blow your mind  
>Now that you're ready, give it to me<strong>_

Rachel sat back up and swiftly kicked her right leg over the back of the chair, displaying her fishnets and the surprisingly long toned legs beneath them, then positioned herself so that a profile of her left side was facing the large group.

_**Just give me that hot, sweet, sexy loving**_

Up she went, bending over the chair.

_**Now give me a little spanking**_

This time Brittany obliged along with her girlfriend at the lyrical request.

_**Ohh, ohh, is that all you've got?  
>Come on now, don't play with me<strong>_

_**Oh give me that hot, sweet, nasty**_  
><em><strong>Girl don't you make me wait<strong>_

_**Now you better give me a little taste  
>Put your icing on my cake<br>You nasty girl**_

Mmmm

When the song was over Rachel went to hold the Cheerios' hands once more, urging them to take a bow with her while the cheers and clapping burst through the air. After, she gave each girl a hug before saying, "Thank you ladies."

Some overly eager woman yelled out, "I love you Rach." Quinn rolled her eyes.

"And I love you," the brunette responded, dropping her voice a register. "I'll love you in ways you've never been loved before," she jested. "Seriously though, you all make me love doing this in a way I never knew I could before. Sometimes we have to say 'screw it' and just have some fun right?" The audience burst into applause. "Now give it up for these two sexy young ladies." Brittany bounced up and down whooping, while Santana beamed at her. "Alright, I have got to get out of this thing." She motioned to her corset.

* * *

><p>Thirty minutes later, Rachel had managed to change into the teal cocktail dress she'd originally worn, and locate the three other McKinley high students. Farah was hanging out with Dakota at the DJ booth, while Dylan and Lorna were nowhere to be found.<p>

While in her absence Brittany admitted to having mentioned to Rachel earlier in the day that they'd seen her performance the week before. Santana expressed her appreciation because she figured if Brittany hadn't, they probably wouldn't have gotten to be involved in such a steamy show. Quinn on the other hand, was less focused on that particular revelation and more focused on the anger she found consuming her.

"Hello, there," Rachel politely yelled above the music. "I trust that you found my performance satisfactory," she smirked, looking to the blonde dancer.

"No, but it was really good," Brittany yelled back.

"I gotta admit I didn't think you had it in you, Berry," Santana winked at the shorter girl.

Rachel went to thank the two girls for their praises but Quinn was the one that spoke. "For someone that said Santana's future was on a pole, you sure seem to be the one that fits that description." It was full of venom and Rachel couldn't help but step back at the biting words. They'd been civil with each other for the most part recently. They'd even had somewhat friendly conversation earlier on in the day so Quinn wasn't completely surprised at the other girl's shocked reaction.

"Chill out," Santana laughed. "Rachel and I are good. I gots to spank her for it and everything."

"Is that why we spanked her," asked Brittany. "I totally thought it was just for fun, otherwise I would have done it harder because you made Santana cry."

"I'm sorry about that Santana," Rachel said sincerely as the raven-haired girl blanched at the memory.

"Whateves," Santana shrugged. "I know a great way you can make it up to me," she added, wriggling her eyebrows.

Choosing to ignore Quinn's earlier comment as she learned to do in the past, Rachel simply said, "We'll see what we can do provided you want to hang out at mine tonight."

"Can we, San," the tall dancer bubbled.

"I can be down for that."

Not five seconds later, an Asian woman, not much taller than Rachel came up to her and stuck a napkin in the Jewish girl's hand, giving her a predatory look as she passed. Rachel opened it and took in the digits written in sharpie. She smiled and in a very un-ladylike manner, slipped it into her bra.

"Looks like you and Puckerman have more in common than the Jewish thing," the pink-haired girl said snidely. "Apparently you'll both screw anything with breasts." She turned to Santana. "I'll be in the car." Then she was stomping off to the exit, leaving Rachel and her two best friends gaping at her back.

"We've only been here for like an hour," she yelled after her, but the other girl continued to make her escape. Turning back to Rachel, the Latin girl shook her head. "Don't worry, she just needs a few minutes to get the bug out of her ass, then she'll be game."

"She should really get that out, I mean S said she just finally got the stick out of there."

The smallest of the little group chuckled at Brittany's comment before saying, "Great. Dylan's hanging at her boyfriend's place and Lorna is spending time with her 'friend' tonight. Dakota always hangs around until everything here dies down so it will just be the four of us and Farah for most of the night."

"It's cool," Santana answered.

"We can even have a few drinks. None of us really drink here much. We try to save that for home so I can promise you there will be libations." She'd told herself after the fiasco with booze the year prior. There would be no more of that, but she got over it somewhere around June.

"Even better."

"Mind if we talk outside?" Rachel asked. "I'm over the yelling and I want to ask something of you."

Santana's answer was to start walking, prompting her girlfriend and Rachel to follow. They all eyed Quinn standing next to the entrance with a cigarette, having forgotten to demand Santana's car keys. Rachel stepped away from her, hoping to avoid some of the smoke.

"You didn't pull off the storm out nearly as good as my hobbit friend here," joked Santana.

"Shut it, S," the former head cheerleader huffed.

"Okay, well like I said I wanted to ask something of you," Rachel spoke up.

"No, I will not promise not to burn all of Schuster's sweater-vests before I take to your school wardrobe," Santana deadpanned.

Ignoring the dig, as per usual, Rachel went on to say, "While I surprisingly appreciate that the three of you have seen into some of my world away from our normal environment of interaction, I am asking that you please keep it to yourselves. I'd prefer that the whole school didn't know that I…"

"Double as a stripper on the weekend and sleep your way through the lesbians of Ohio." Quinn cut in.

"I do no such thing, Fabray. You seem awfully judgmental for someone who claims to have put her high horse out to pasture by way of a nose ring and pink hair."

"She has a point, Q," Santana chuckled. "Back bone looks good on you, Rachel."

"Fine," Quinn sneered at the shorter brunette. "Unlike certain little people with big mouths, I can keep a secret."

* * *

><p>It had been a few hours since they'd gotten to Rachel's house, or as Santana liked to call it, 'The Rainbow Sorority House'. They hadn't even started drinking when Brittany started getting all handsy and asking Rachel if she could kiss her. Rachel looked to Santana's expected jealousy to put an end to it because it was one thing to put on a show for the couple, and another to actually follow through with flirtatious comments. She was only met with, "After B, I could go for some Berry too."<p>

After the small brunette made it clear that there would be no sexytimes between them she gladly obliged. So there the three of them were, making out in between shots and giggles, when Dakota came in earlier than expected. Farah had been quite amused at the scene, but was obviously glad when she saw her girlfriend make her way into the home.

Quinn had been looking on, sulking with a few snide remarks the entire time, with the exception of a cigarette and bathroom break or two. Though once she saw Dakota slipping her arms around Farah, she had yet another strong urge to light up.

Farah slipped out through the sliding glass door and sat down next to the former head Cheerio on the stoop. "Can I get a drag from your cig?" She asked in a tone that Quinn had yet to hear from the twenty year-old. It was serious and even sounded a slight bit concerned. She wordlessly passed the nicotine stick over to the taller woman. Farah took a long drag and slowly blew it out, savoring the flavor. "You know these things will kill ya don'tcha?" She passed the cigarette back to the other girl.

"So I've heard," Quinn said dryly before taking a drag.

"You were awfully quiet in there."

"I like to observe my surroundings; take it all in."

"So how goes the soul search?"

"Excuse me?" Quinn groused.

"You know, the whole changing everything about yourself to run away from the shit storm that once was?"

"You don't know anything about me," Quinn said sternly.

"No, but I know myself," the biker began before swiping the rapidly shrinking cigarette and taking another drag. She handed it back and continued. "I was a total daddy's girl. My dad doted on me like I was a freakin' princess." Quinn looked to the ground at the familiarity of the words. "My mom, she resented me for….I don't know, breathing I guess. She always told my dad that he put me on a pedestal that I didn't earn. As long as I can remember they weren't happy as husband and wife, they just stuck it out. My dad got through it with work and doting on me, and my mom drank." Farah's voice began to sadden, and the tone surprised Quinn. "I'd come to terms that I was gay when I was thirteen, but it took me until I was fifteen to admit it out loud. I told Hiram first. He offered me some great support. Told me I always had a place to go if I ever needed to talk to someone who'd been there. Anyway, I figured my dad loves me; he'll be there for me. He's close friends with the Berrys and he's always been involved in gay rights issues. Only…"

"When it came to his perfect little girl being a lesbian he couldn't deal," the hazel-eyed girl cut in.

"Something like that," Farah gave a sad smile. "He didn't go off on me or anything. At first he did everything he was supposed to do. He hugged me and said he loved me no matter what, but then he started to pull away. He avoided me and since he was never the type to race home to his _adoring _wife, he came home less and less. So I decided if my parents wanted to pretend that I wasn't there, I was going to change in a drastic way. I was going to at least get my dad's attention back. I died my hair blue and started sleeping with half the 'straight' girls I went to school with. But I was still invisible in my own home. So I went to his office and openly flirted with his secretary until he got out of his meeting." She giggled bitterly and Quinn could tell that Farah was fighting tears. "When he and his client came out of his office they saw what was going on. When I had decided that I had gotten his attention, I politely strolled over to the guy and introduced myself as Jim's dyke daughter. Let's just say that he came home that evening and showed me plenty of attention, via screaming. But the next day everything went back as if the day before hadn't happened." The woman cleared her throat in an effort to put herself back together before she had a meltdown. "Then one day in the most cliché of ways, Jim tells my mom that he's leaving her for some chick he met at a business conference. He wrote me a letter saying something along the lines of, 'I love you and I'm leaving your mother, not you'. It was bullshit because he did leave me. But he'd left me a year earlier. He paid child support and alimony willingly. It was his way of pretending that he wasn't a deadbeat I guess."

"At least your dad told you he loved you," Quinn whispered as she thought about getting kicked out of her house after being told what a disappointment she was.

Farah looked over at the still form next to her. "My mom blamed me. Said it was bad enough I took all the attention ever since I came into the world, but then I had to go and drive him away to some new woman to dote on. One night I woke up to her pulling me out of bed and beating the shit out of me. I could smell the Jack on her breath. When it was over I drove myself to the hospital and called the Berrys. They rushed right to the hospital. They released me to my mom, but she'd agreed to let me go home with Hiram and Leroy and I've been here ever since. I was seventeen then."

"What happened to your mom?"

"I didn't want anyone going after her, so I told the doctor I'd been in a fight with some other kids. My mom started to go to AA and therapy. We talk once every couple of weeks, even though we live in the same damn town. She and I both know I'm no good for her recovery so….it's whatever."

"Your dad?"

"We write each other here and there. He still sends me money even though I'm twenty now, but we'll never get what we had back." This made Quinn sad. The thought of her dad never loving her in the same way he once did, hurt more than she cared to admit.

Farah seemed to know what she was thinking. "That's just my story. It doesn't have to be yours."

"My dad hasn't spoken to me since he kicked me out for getting pregnant. My mom's trying really hard now but, it just isn't the same." She flicked the last of the cigarette butt onto the concrete. It was odd that she was feeling a sort of kinship with this woman that she was determined not to like. Perhaps their similar falls from grace could give them an understanding with one another.

"You better pick it up before Ray or Dakota see that. We have ash trays for a reason," she warned, reaching over to retrieve an empty tray from the other side of the stoop.

Quinn rolled her eyes and picked up the butt then placed it in the offered tray. "Can I ask you something?" Quinn asked nervously.

"You can ask but I won't promise an answer," Farah giggled, bringing back of a hint of the woman Quinn had become used to.

"She's…..different here. I mean she's been more relaxed at school so far this year but here …at the warehouse….she's…" The pink-haired girl slightly grimaced. "Fun." She couldn't help but be confused. Rachel had abandoned all of her other clubs this year and was only attending a few dance classes and vocal lessons a week now. Of all the years to slacken on her extra-curricular activities, her senior year was not the one to do it in. This was a girl who prided herself in being well-rounded enough to make it in to a stellar preforming arts school.

"She's with people that care about her and she's comfortable. She can be herself."

"Okay but for the last three years, the Rachel Berry I've known was," she was trying to find a way to say it without offending the other woman.

"You think we've never seen rambling, obsessive, overbearing, bossy Rachel," she chuckled.

Quinn furrowed her brows. "I don't get why you get this and we got…that"

"Look, I'm going to throw you a bone."

"Thank you," Quinn sounded relieved as the conversation yet again got serious.

"When Ray was eight, Leroy got diagnosed with Lupus. The symptoms were mild at first, but when she was thirteen they got pretty bad. He was very sick. Ray, she was so scared. All Leroy could think to do was to get her to focus on something else. She'd always had a love for Broadway and wanted to be a part of it. She'd been in dance and taking voice lessons for years but it had always been a fun hobby. But when Leroy was so sick, he didn't want her seeing him like that, always worrying. I was there when he said, 'You're my shiny star. Don't worry about me, baby girl. I just want you to practice real hard so you can be the best at your recital. One day you're going to be a star on Broadway and you're going to start working hard for it now. Dad and I are so proud of you and we're going to be your biggest fans.' It got her to pour her attention elsewhere but she got really crazy about it. She was determined. When Leroy started to do better she calmed down at home but kept it up at school. It's a coping mechanism. She wants to do well so that if she loses him, he'll see that she was the best before he goes."

For the first time Quinn felt guilt for too many things at once. Not like the guilt she felt after she slapped the small brunette on prom night, but a wave of guilt for comments she'd made, especially the ones pertaining to her and her fathers. She knew what it was like to desperately try to please your father, but under the circumstances; even if she didn't know them, that was tough. The girl was afraid she was going to lose her daddy and had to read things on myspace saying that they should have given her back. "Um…." She was trying to deflect her feelings. "So, why is she more relaxed at school now? I mean, she's who she used to be, but dialed down."

"See, the thing about Lupus is that the symptoms can range and a person can go years without them. Leroy's symptoms came back with a vengeance around late May early June, but Hiram was able to get him into a clinical trial at UCLA Medical Center. They didn't want to uproot Ray during her senior year so they invited Lorna and Dylan to move in." Her lips curled and she added, "Hiram practically begged Dakota to move in and play dad. If you haven't noticed, Lorna is like mama maternal, Ray is the responsible kid that tries to keep the peace, I'm the sassy pot stirrer that runs her mouth and Dylan is the tough broad who…..also runs her mouth, only she tends to mean what she says more than I do sometimes," Farah joked.

"Yeah," Quinn finally let herself chuckle. "I gathered that."

"Before they left, Leroy told Rachel that he wanted her to enjoy her senior year. He said that she'd worked so hard the last three years that she deserved to just have fun, as long as she didn't get into much trouble. She promised she'd try. She still worries. Always jumps when one of them calls, afraid of bad news. His skin is a mess of rashes. He's always in pain. He's been having seizers and Leroy's eye sight is starting to deteriorate. He's even had some instances of coughing up blood. We all know there's more going on, but they won't say."

"I guess there was a lot going on that none of us ever knew about," Quinn acknowledged.

"She doesn't really trust any of you," Farah said simply.

"We're supposed to be her friends." Not even Quinn truly believed the words coming from her own mouth.

"I mean really can you blame her? Sure she has some mild friendships but can you honestly say that any of you in that club have completely had her back? Glee is the only school related thing she discusses with us and she loves you guys. I'm not saying she doesn't mess up, I've seen some of her best handy work myself, but let's be real. How many times has she even had your back, and how many times has it been returned? How many things has she forgiven, only to have her screw ups thrown back in her face?"

"Okay, but even you admit that she can have an off putting personality." Quinn was trying to grasp at anything to defend her club.

"I suppose we just care about her enough to look past it." This time she was making accusations. Not overly so, but it was clearly there. "I was living here when Rachel had that party last year. I stayed at Dakota's because Ray asked me to."

"I'm not sure what that has to do with anything."

"She planned the duet thing with Santana for a time she knew the house would be empty, and whenever any of us have gone to a glee thing, she's kept us from interacting with any of you. Can you guess why that is?"

"Maybe she's ashamed of you," Quinn said with a little spite. She hated being accused and hated it even more when she deserved it.

"Or maybe she's afraid that someone from your glee club will make some smart ass comment and one of us would go off. She thinks she's slick about that stuff, but none of us are stupid. We may not know specifics, but we know what goes on in that school. We just let her believe we don't know for her sake."

The guilt came back hard but she chose to protect herself with her ice queen act. "Or maybe she's afraid we'll all be able to tell that you and your girlfriend are sleeping with her."

Farah glared daggers. "Judge all you want but when a girl you love has been made to feel worthless by some guy that never treated her right; when she comes to you feeling like shit because she feels like she just isn't pretty enough to compete with a girl who she's deemed the prettiest she's ever met, and all she wants is to feel desired, then I might take your judgment into consideration."

"He desired her plenty. He always looked at her like he wanted her. He even told her she was beautiful right in front of me, and I was his girlfriend."

"Yeah, because a guy you love telling you you're beautiful, after he rejected you repeatedly over other girls, especially the one by his side, really does something to boost your confidence," she returned sarcastically. "Look, I'm not saying you didn't deserve better because you did. You both did." She was being sincere. "She was starting to get loose with her body," Farah explained. "She wanted to feel pretty. It didn't matter that we all told her she was because she felt like we were obligated to say it, so she sought it out in random hookups with some of the girls at the warehouse parties. I saw her being self-destructive, much like Dylan and I used to be. Dakota and I didn't want that for her so we offered an alternative," she actually blushed. "And hey, she's really good at it," she grinned. "One day, someone that deserves her will come along and she'll give herself to them, but until then….It's unconventional but it works for us. If you don't like it, maybe you should ask yourself why it matters so much to you." With that, Farah gave the other girl an awkward half hug, got up and left Quinn to mull over their conversation.

* * *

><p>Fifteen minutes later Quinn was staring at an unlit cigarette, still sitting on the stoop. She had been contemplating whether or not she was going to light up again in between thoughts of her little chat with Farah. They had more in common than she thought. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about that though. Part of her now felt some sort of comradery between them, but then she'd think of the all the moments she'd found herself wanting to scratch the girl's eyes out and that went out the window. She'd told herself that she didn't like the woman's attitude. She was cocky, snarky, horny and even a bit obnoxious…..okay so she'd just describe Santana minus the bitchtitude, whom she had been having some of the same annoyances for recently as well. Even Brittany was starting to ware on her a bit, yet here she was with the all three of them and a girl she'd always had a hard time dealing with. She didn't hate her, not anymore, but she still felt like the air in her lungs could turn on her whenever they were too close. It was almost as if Rachel's mere existence made her confused and angry.<p>

She mentally added another reason for not liking Farah. She was the one who had her thinking about this crap. Quinn had been perfectly content ignoring the issues she didn't want to think about until fifteen minutes earlier when Farah pretty much forced her to think about why she had all these conflicting feelings in her when it came to that irritating little….

"Hey, you've been out here for forever," a slightly buzzed Rachel beamed. She slid the glass door back into place and quickly took over Farah's abandoned seat.

"Yeah, well I'm surprised you even noticed what with your tongue being crammed down either S or B's throats," Quinn shot, though she instantly felt guilty for saying it.

Apparently Rachel hadn't felt the sting. "I always notice when you go missing Quinn," she giggled. "Are you going to smoke that?" she pointed at the nicotine stick with a grimace. "I'm trying to convince Farah and Dylan that that is quite a deplorable habit."

'Here we go,' thought Quinn.

"It is very unhealthy."

"So is drinking, take it from the one raised by alcoholics," the pink-haired beauty rolled her eyes before motioning toward the wine cooler in the smaller girl's hand .

"That's what Farah says."

"And it can make you make fucked up decisions like, I don't know….believing some guy when he says 'trust me' and nine months, two times homeless, and two boyfriends later you're pushing out a kid you know you can't afford to keep."

Rachel's face adopted a serious look. "I hardly think present company could leave me in such a predicament. Though if that is a genuine concern then I am open to discussing it."

"No," Quinn said a little harshly. "I thought you swore never to drink again after last year," she said now deflecting.

"Yes, well I have since learned my limits." Rachel was chuckling again. "And I think I've even learned Brittany's."

After a few moments of silence lingered between them Quinn spoke up to say something she was fully expecting to make her nauseous as she spoke the words. "Look, what I said to you earlier. I was out of line." The sickness didn't come. "I was just…well I'm not sure what but I think part of me is a little pissed that there is this part of you that nobody seems to judge you for."

"It's nice to have places to go where people don't always tell you how horrible you are," the singer admitted. "I like that I still get that applause but I also still feel genuinely liked."

"They more than like you, Rachel. Half of those girls throw themselves at you." Quinn did her best to hide the aggravation she felt as she said it.

"It is an ego booster," Rachel confessed. "I spent a long time pretending that being called names didn't hurt. Now, I can actually believe in all of the things I pretended to. I mean, I may not be pretty like you, or Santana, or Brittany, but I'm not completely undesirable."

"If you were really ugly, we wouldn't have spent so much time trying to make you believe it," Quinn snapped. The guilty thing still wasn't working well for her so she was reverting again.

Rachel's eyes went wide. "Wow…I, maybe you were right. I think I should slow down with the booze. I can't believe I said all of that bull," the brunette laughed. It wasn't bull, and the former cheerleader knew it. "I just get a little whiney when I drink. Just be glad I'm not being all touchy-clingy drunk with you. According to Finn it's pathetic."

"I…uhh.."

Rachel interrupted, "It's freezing out here. I need to get inside. I suggest you either smoke that pretty quick or just come inside and warm up now."

"Hey Rachel," Quinn spoke up quickly. Rachel stilled her movements and gazed at the taller girl. "You're pretty." Rachel looked at her skeptically. "Really. When you wanted that nose job, I was happy because I guess maybe you had insecurities about your looks too. I mean, after trying to make you feel like you weren't for all that time, it was like we finally succeeded." Rachel was gaping, as if she was not quite sure if she was angry or just confused by the confession. Seeing this, Quinn elaborated. "You just seemed like you believed in yourself no matter what and most of us were…jealous of that. I mean if I had to be insecure then I felt like you should be too." Rachel scrunched her brows and stuck out her bottom lip. "I know it was messed up…but it's the truth. Believe it or not, that's more than I give to most people."

Rachel looked at the other girl, now with understanding. "It's very messed up, but I guess I kind of get it. You aren't so good at letting people in."

"Noticed that did ya?" Quinn let out a small self-deprecating snort. "Finn thinks I can't feel anything anymore."

"Finn just can't be bothered to look," she retorted honestly. "I've always known you had some heavy feelings. You just don't trust anyone enough to share them as much."

"And you do?" Quinn Questioned. "Trust, I mean."

Rachel let out a deep breath and sat herself back down on the stoop. "I trust my girls to be there for me. But sometimes I do pick and choose what I'm open about. They're all protective. Especially Dylan, she just needs one good reason to go off on someone, but she tries to keep it in check due to my stance on violence."

"So you all of a sudden trust Santana, Brittany and me?"

"I have no choice. All I can do is hope that you all keep my non-school life under wraps as you've agreed to do," the small brunette answered.

"I can't speak for them, but nobody's gonna hear it from me."

"Thanks."

"Who'd believe me anyway?" Quinn giggled.

"That I work as a part time stripper?" Rachel let out a loud laugh, referring to Quinn's earlier statement. "Well, Noah might. You know he has got to have a fantasy about that."

Quinn nodded in agreement as she joined in the laughter. "I'm pretty sure he's had that fantasy about ninety percent of the females in his life. If he would have actually seen your little performance tonight, he definitely would have added the image to his spank bank."

"Finn would be mail manning it all over the place," Rachel joked.

"God, I could go the rest of my life without seeing that again and it would still not have been enough time to get over it," Quinn stuck her cigarette back into the carton as she enjoyed her fit of giggles.

"That makes two of us," added the little singer, playfully bumping the former blonde.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile in the house, Santana and Brittany had opted to take up residence it Rachel's empty room after the diva left the two girls all hot and bothered. Farah was in the kitchen subtly watching as the scene played out on the patio while Dakota was upstairs in the shower getting ready for bed.<p>

Hearing the footsteps coming from the other direction, she redirected her attention to the other entrance. "I thought you two had other plans tonight," she smiled over at the tall black woman and the skinny blonde.

"Yeah well, Antonio's dad wants him to drive down to Columbus for business; something about an order mix up so I'm stuck with you bitches tonight ," the blonde chuckled.

"And you?" she looked at Lorna.

"She had to go home, he came back early," The darker woman said in a somewhat cumbersome voice, causing fire in Dylan's eyes, though she kept herself in check the best she could so as to not further upset her closest friend. Farah gave them a soft smile but said nothing. The other two women knew there was more to it, but they didn't question it. If Lorna wanted to talk about it she would.

The teens on the porch caught Lorna's eyes and she used to scene to get the focus off of her. "Oh look, they look relaxed with each other. That's new."

Dylan did a double take as she watched the girls outside laughing and talking. "Hold up," she began. "You mean frosty the snow bitch can string together more than a few sentences and oh, what's this? She can laugh too?"

"That was uncalled for," hissed Lorna.

"Really," added Farah.

"Seriously," stated Dylan. "You didn't hear the shit that girl said earlier. They didn't see me but that girl basically called Ray a whore, and not like we do, she meant it. If Antonio hadn't pulled me aside I would have wrung her pretty porcelain neck!"

"She's just a kid, honey," Lorna reasoned. "But you, my lovely, are an adult."

"Please," Dylan rolled her eyes. "She's all of what, a year and a half younger than me? She should grow up."

"You're one to talk, D," added Farah with a chuckle. "They're seemed to have made up anyway."

"I don't trust her," spat Dylan. "Have you been watching things between them? That Santana girl is a bitch but hey, so am I. It's just who we are. But Quinn, it's like Rachel just brings out an extra boost of mean, only she doesn't have the balls to do it in front of us, at least not on purpose."

"She's got some things going on, okay. I can't be the only one who sees that," Farah defended.

"That doesn't mea….."

Lorna interrupted the blonde by saying, "I know it pisses you off and you want to protect her but she's going to have to figure this out. I mean, let's just state the obvious here. Quinn has got issues and Ray has her own set of problems to work with. Add to that the fact that I'm sure at least the three of us and Dakota know that those two are dancing around something that involves feelings."

"Oh thank god you said it. I was afraid I was over using my gay goggles," Farah said relieved.

"No it's there. Hell I saw it before I even met the girl. Ray's always talked about that girl like she was the second coming, even when they fought over that idiot," Lorna confirmed.

"That's good and dandy but she don't deserve her. Ray needs someone who can be honest about their feelings and treat her right," said Dylan.

"To do that the girl has to be honest with herself," Farah cut in.

"Everybody ain't like you," Dylan said more harshly than she'd planned. "Not every prissy, closeted, rich girl comes to terms with her shit and chills out. Some just stay prissy bitches and I'm telling you now, if she hurts my girl, I'm going off."

"Rach can handle her own," said the black girl. "And if Quinn hurts her too much, I'll give you permission to kick her ass okay."

"My money is on her figuring it out before it's too late. I mean according to Ray she's smart, just distant. She's running out of chances and the girl is jealous as hell. She looks at me like she wants me to explode whenever she sees me too close to Rachel. I may or may not have given her something to think about earlier," said Farah.

"She better get to figuring it out real quick like, 'cause she's on my nerves already," Dylan declared.

"Be patient, love," Lorna smiled.

"I'm no good at that and you know it," Dylan said back.

Both Lorna and Farah started to laugh. "Isn't that the truth", Lorna said to the petulant blonde.

"Fuck you both," Dylan giggled.

"When, where and how hard, babe?" Lorna joked back.

"I'll let you know," Dylan returned as the two teenagers made their way back into the house.

**I hope you liked it. Please review if you can because it's like a drug and I needs my fix.**


	4. You're Taking Me Over

**Title:** When Secrets Come Out to Play

**Chapter 4/?** : You're Taking Me Over

**Fandom:** Glee  
><strong>Pairings: <strong>Rachel Berry /Quinn Fabray Side Brittany/ Santana Rachel/Others Quinn/OC  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 for sexual themes and eventual smutt.  
><strong>Word Length<strong>: 2000+ per chapter.  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Quinn puts her quest to find herself on hold in order to figure out the suddenly more mysterious Rachel Berry. She soon finds that there is more to the little brunette than she ever thought possible. Perhaps she'll even figure herself out on the way. Punk!Quinn Semi-Baddass!Rachel.

**Spoilers: **All aired episodes, only a few things from season three as it's AU for the most part. **NO LUCY CABOOSY!**

**Thanks to t8kmybreathaway for doing wonderful beta work.**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "Glee", if I did Quinn and Rachel would have settled their differences via lots of love making around the time Rachel put out for Finn. Either that or she would have given it up to Santana. Either way, Finchel would have been crushed. You also may have noticed or not noticed that I tend to use song titles for chapter titles. I don't own them either. I do own the OC's though, that's something right?

**Thanks so much for all the alerts, faves, and great reviews. You know how to put a smile on a girl's face.**

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><p>Glee was fairly uneventful the following Monday. Mr. Schuester didn't have a set plan for the day other than going over the Sectionals numbers. They only ran through them each once, much to Rachel's annoyance, though she didn't complain about it. At this point most of the group still wasn't completely used to her new found nonchalant attitude, so they'd still looked at her awkwardly from time to time. The two Cheerios and Quinn seemed to be the only ones who weren't always trying to figure her out. Initially, Kurt hadn't seemed worried but he appeared to have done a 180 that day and joined it the stares.<p>

Quinn noticed that Puck was eyeing the small brunette throughout the session as well and when she thought about it, he'd been doing so a lot lately. It wasn't the look the rest of them gave her, nor was it the look of betrayal that swept Hudson's face every time he looked at the girl. It wasn't even a leering look. She was well schooled in the many leers of Noah Puckerman and this one was foreign. It was more of a look of concern. She'd opted to try and ignore it the best she could but when the pink-haired girl watched the boy whisper into Rachel's ear at the end of glee, Quinn couldn't help but take notice.

Quinn had honestly left her notebook behind and had doubled back to retrieve it. The hazel-eyed girl wasn't one to invade people's privacy, she really wasn't; however, lately she couldn't seem to help herself where Rachel was concerned. So when she heard Rachel's voice as she turned the corner re-enter the music room, not ten minutes after glee was over, she stopped in her tracks and casually listened. She was only briefly concerned that she was being a total creeper as she stood tucked away around the corner from where the twosome spoke.

"Ma says you can always come with us if you don't want to go alone," she heard Puck say in a hushed tone. "I miss my favorite Jew-babe at synagogue. Who knew you'd be the one of the two of us to jump ship first?"

"I haven't 'jumped ship' Noah. I still very much believe in both of my faiths. I just have a lot going on these days," Rachel replied.

"How's he doing?" Puck's voice was sounding empathetic now.

"He has his okay days and then he has his bad ones," the girl said back in monotone. "They won't give me all the details."

"I'm sorry, Rach."

"Me too."

"Why don't you talk about it with the rest of them? They'd like, want to be there for you. Maybe they'd see that you got other shit to deal with and quit looking at you like you're in the wrong."

"None of them have ever been interested in my private life," Rachel said without malice. "Frankly, the only reason you know about that is because of what you heard in temple. I have no intention of inviting them into my family struggles." The girl took a deep breath. "Let them think I'm selfish, I'm used to it."

"Is that girl at least taking care of you?" Puckerman asked.

"She is."

"I should meet this chick. She's been staying with you for forever and I need to make sure she's doing right by my Jewish Princess." Now Puck was chuckling.

"Farah's in a relationship and she's gay, Noah," Rachel said light heartedly. "You don't have a prayer of a chance." Figures once Lauren ditched Puck he'd be back on the prowl in no time. They actually worked well together, it was a shame she didn't stick around. He actually treated her better than any other girl he'd dated, including Quinn and she had been pregnant with his baby.

"Hey, the Puckasouras got into Santana and Brittany's panties and they're all about the lady love," he continued to joke.

Quinn thought about how he was hardly the only guy to accomplish that feat, though Rachel refrained from pointing it out. "Well Farah will stab you in the throat if you try to touch her." Quinn had to stop herself from snorting. Rachel was probably right. Farah may have been a bit of a bullshitter at times but she would be having none of that, and if for some reason she allowed it, Dakota's calm exterior would probably crack just in time to crack his jaw.

"I like a challenge."

"No," Rachel said.

"No fun, Berry," he chuckled back.

"I've been told that on many occasions. "

"But really, how are you?" Quinn hadn't heard that tone from him since she was about to give birth.

"I'm fine Noah." Quinn recognized the overly chirpy way the words were said.

"Bullshit, Rachel," Puck said abruptly. "There is no way this is all okay. I mean you're chilling out and that's great but there is no way you can be dealing with this damn near alone and be okay."

"I've dealt with many things alone," annoyance crept into her voice.

"I know," he said guiltily. "But this is big. You have one person in the world to talk to about it with, if you even talk to her." It was apparent that the boy didn't know the full extent of Rachel's living arrangements, even if he did know about Leroy Berry's medical plight.

"Noah," her voice became softer. "If it makes you feel any better, I have more people in my corner than you know. I have people to talk to. I have Farah, but I have others. Try not to worry about me. He's the one we need to be thinking about."

"Just promise me that if you need anything, you'll come to me. I know I'm a douche but…."

"I know that there is all kinds of good in you, Noah Puckerman." Rachel's voice was stern. "You've shown me on more than one occasion."

"Then why won't you let me….."

"I just can't right now, okay. I need to keep this away from school. I can't handle them knowing and the fact that you know, it's unsettling at times." She was getting frustrated; probably not at the boy with the Mohawk, but with herself. It seemed that in all her verbosity, Rachel was having a hard time getting her point across. "I have people to talk to when I want to talk," she stated, now calmed again. "But when I want to pretend everything is okay, they let me. I'm not in denial. I know he's not doing well, but they can leave well enough alone when I need them to. If I break down, someone will sit with me and let me cry and scream or whatever. But when I'm done, they don't force the issue. They treat me like it never happened if that's what I want."

For someone who tended to take issue with Rachel's long windedness, Quinn was sure hanging onto every word.

"I can do that for you. I'm not great with this shit but for you, I can do that," Puck almost seemed like he was pleading.

"I know but it isn't fair to put that on you and not put it on the others."

"So let them in on it. We're there for each other." Quinn almost couldn't believe that those words were coming from Puck's lips. She knew he had the potential to be sweet but this was a lot to take in.

It was quiet for a couple of minutes before Rachel spoke again. "The day before they left, Mr. Goldman came by to send good wishes our way. This is the same man that I remember cornering me and my daddy after temple when I was five; the same man who told him that he had no right to be raising me in the lifestyle that he and my dad were involved in. He told daddy that he should be ashamed of what he was doing and that he was defiling the temple simply by being there."

"Mr. Goldman's always been an asshole," Puck cut in.

"Indeed," Rachel confirmed before continuing. "As you know, daddy is Christian though he attended temple as a show of support for dad's beliefs, and in doing so he turned the other cheek. He's the one that's always taught me that the most. But when Mr. Goldman looked at my daddy with all that damn pity and concern, I just wanted to cram it back down his throat. I know he was being nice but I was so angry, Noah. That he could treat my daddy like that for all these years and then suddenly act like he cared because it was socially expected…..." She took a few moments yet again to apparently calm herself. "If glee knew….They'd want to ask questions that I don't want to answer. Then they'd probably get that 'oh so concerned and worried' look on their faces. And I'm sorry but even in all my non-violent ways; I'd probably want to hit a few of them. I'm not that close to the majority of them and like I said before, most of them haven't really been interested in my life prior, so the idea of them looking at me like they suddenly give a damn. It'll just piss me off." Rachel sounded a little angry yet guilty at the same time. Quinn couldn't stand it anymore; she went sprinting in the other direction, leaving behind her notebook.

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><p>Quinn sat in her car trying to clear her head. Second to the thirty-seven weeks she spent growing a child under her heart, this was the most confused she'd ever been. She was slowly becoming far too invested in this girl. Ever since the first warehouse party, which had only been just over a couple of weeks ago, she'd found herself wanting to know things about Rachel that she'd never bothered trying to figure out a few months earlier. Maybe she had been intrigued as to why Finn, Jesse, and even Puck fell for her, even at the height of her irritatingly, fashionably challenged, self-absorbed, superiority complex. And it was possible that she had even felt safe with the other girl at times when she couldn't open up to anyone else, but it had never been like this. She'd never wanted to know so much about a person other than Beth and she was too scared to do anything about <em>that<em>.

While she knew this was absolutely beyond reason, she couldn't stop herself from calling the one gleek other than Puck that may be able to give her some kind of understanding. It had taken twenty minutes for her to talk herself out of doing it and another five to disregard her own debate. The pink-haired girl dialed and nervously shifted in her seat.

"Hello Quinn. How is it that I can help you? Please say it's to ask my opinion on reintegrating color and style to your recent er…..wardrobe faux pas."

She nearly told the falsetto where he could go, though she thought better of it when she remembered that there was a purpose for her call and it involved his cooperation. "Hey Kurt. That isn't necessary. I'm still enjoying my faux pas," she said moderately.

"Oh," Kurt answered. "That's quite unfortunate," he muttered under his breath before quickly saying, "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yeah um….You and Cede's are all buddy buddy with Berry these days, right?"

"Well we were toward the end of last year but I got a bit preoccupied with Blaine and Mercedes and Sam got close so…you know how that can be. She didn't want to be a fifth wheel." Kurt admitted.

"So you guys don't talk?"

"We do, just not as much as we used to," the boy said. "What's with all this sudden interest in Rachel? Are you planning something?"

"I just wan….."

Kurt interrupted the lies that were about to fall from the former cheerleader's lips. "Look I know she's the bane of your existence and all, but the two of you have been fairly civil with one another for a long time now so I don't understand why….."

This time it was Quinn doing the interrupting, having been offended at the accusations being made. "Geez, it's not like that," she exclaimed. "I just don't get what's been up with her and I thought you might know. If I'd known you were going to go all interrogation on me I would have figured something else out."

"Oh, well in that case," Kurt drawled sarcastically.

"You know what? I don't need your shit! I'll get info from someone else," she snarled.

"Wait," he said apologetically. "I'm sorry alright. It's just that you haven't always had the best track record with her."

."And you have?" She shot back.

"I'll help you if I can, but at least be honest here; I may have been snotty and bitchy but….."

"Fine I get it. I treated her like crap. Are you happy now?"

"Not particularly, though if it makes you feel any better, she's made her fair share of mistakes."

"Yeah, whatever I just wanted to know if you knew anything about her…personality transplant." Quinn knew, and she probably knew more than Kurt on that subject but she wanted to know exactly how much the little singer shared with him. It was weird, and it was creepy, however, she was too far gone to care.

Kurt took a long breath, as if he was trying to decide what to cop to. "After the debacle at nationals, she was feeling all guilty about what happened."

"Well, yeah," Quinn said flatly. "That kiss they just _had_ to have completely screwed us."

"We would have placed even lower than twelve had she not gone with it. She wasn't expecting it, but she's an actress, Quinn. She's been taught how to get through unexpected situations when it comes to a performance. Haven't you heard of the saying 'The show must go on?' She lives by it. Besides, I think the fact that we went all the way to Nationals with absolutely nothing prepared may have factored in there somewhere. Throwing a performance together at the last minute was quite an error in judgment on Mr. Sheu's part."

"Fine, okay so what does that have to do with anything I'm asking about?"

Kurt sighed at her lack of patience. "Anyway, she came to me to warn me that Finn might be a grump for a while because she was choosing not to re-enter into the novella that was the Finchel relationship."

"So you think this is about Finn?" Quinn scoffed at the absurdity of it all.

"No, although if you'd let me finish perhaps you may get an answer or two."

"Go on," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Rachel said she had more important things going on than Finn Hudson. She wanted a change starting with him, and ending with a happier, more relaxed her. "

"Really?" Quinn asked tentatively.

"I mocked her for it at first. The idea of Rachel Barbra Berry not being a spotlight whore was too much not to laugh at," the boy chuckled. "Yet, low and behold she followed through. At first I would have bet my Gucci aviator sunglasses that this was one big acting exercise; however, the girl didn't even insist we continue to rehears when Mercedes went sharp and Finn tripped over Tina during 'One Step at a Time'. I mean come on, we're supposed to lead our set list with that," Concern ebbed into Kurt's voice. "I know it's Mr. Schuester's job to whip us into shape, but let's be honest, he's never been the most consistent when it comes to glee….Unless you count the sweater-vests and whatever it is he does with his hair."

"I've got to agree with you there."

"At least he isn't waiting to the last minute but these rehearsals are a joke."

"So is that it?"

"I believe so. I think there may be something else going on. She's been secretive these days, and she was all too willing to pull away; fifth wheel or not. Maybe Blaine and I'll make a stopover at Chez Berry after school tomorrow and then I can fill you in."

"No," Quinn said a little too quickly. "Maybe we should wait it out."

"Wasn't it you that called me to investigate McKinley's resident Jewish Diva?"

"Yes but…..Just don't go over there. She can't possibly keep up with this for too long and if you go over there she'll probably just step up her game of indifference to make a point."

"I suppose," Kurt conceded. "I'll give her until sectionals. Then all bets are off."

"Okay, well I gotta go….Thanks Kurt," Quinn said relieved that she'd gotten both Rachel and herself out of the hole she'd just dug them.

"Blaine just showed up, albeit late, though none the less I have to go as well. Bye Quinn." The phone line went dead.

"Get a fucking grip, Fabray," she cursed out loud to herself before putting her car in gear and peeling out of the high school parking lot.

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><p>The girls were falling into a repetitive cycle. Well, the girls of the Berry house had welcomed the Cheerios and the girl with the pink hair into their already existing routine anyway. They'd all meet at the warehouse Friday nights to party and enjoy a feel good performance by Rachel while Quinn would spend some time brooding, though she was doing that less and less. Eventually, they would head back to the Berry house and start drinking, or in Brittany and Santana's case, continue drinking. Sometimes Lorna and or Dylan would show up and other times they wouldn't make an appearance until Saturday afternoon. Saturday was spent lazing about watching movies and what not. Sunday afternoon was always brunch. It appeared to Quinn that it was a non-negotiable routine among the household members. They'd all get up, cook a big meal and enjoy each other's company.

She wasn't about to voice it or anything, but she enjoyed the Sunday brunches the most. When they all sat around the table together she would think things like, 'this is what a family should be like,' or simply 'this is nice.' She could see that Santana was enjoying it too, especially since her weekly dinners with her Abuela had stopped once she came out to the woman over summer vacation.

The three girls didn't question how they ended up spending their weekends of freedom with Rachel freaking Berry of all people. They just went with it. For the most part, the women of the house were welcoming, though there were occasions when Dylan could be extra snarky, and Dakota would send warning looks if Santana or Quinn shot off at the mouth a little too much.

The weekend of Halloween the four high school girls managed to make an appearance at Puck's Halloween bash, though Rachel had come separately. They left an hour and a half into the party, also separately, so that they could get to the warehouse in time for Rachel to hit the stage. Thankfully, she'd warn her outfit to Puck's as her costume, which got a lot of looks from the boys of McKinley. It was hardly original, being a black dress ending just above the knee, cut low at the chest though the sleeves were long. A modest witch's hat rested on the top of her loose hair with the aid of a head band and she carried a wand, no broom in sight. It went perfect with her rendition of 'I Put a Spell on You'.

Quinn had actually been into the performance without feeling the need to glare at anyone. She was sure that it had nothing to do with the fact that the little glee singer was singing to Lorna and she knew damn well that there was nothing going on between the two of them. Although, she found it kind of funny that the dishwater blonde that had been attached to the tall black girl was less than amused by the whole thing.

Dylan, who had been standing with her surprisingly short boyfriend, was sniggering with every uncomfortable twitch of the woman. Lorna was nineteen and the woman, whom Quinn figured was the 'friend' that the girls of the Berry house referred to but didn't discuss in her presence, was at least in her mid-thirties. After the song the 'friend' grabbed Lorna's hand and angrily led the dark girl out of the party as the younger of the two waved goodbyes. They all looked at the scene in annoyance, but didn't try to stop Lorna from leaving. It was apparent that this hadn't been the first time something like this had happened. Lorna didn't show back up at the house until early Sunday morning.

* * *

><p>The second Sunday of November had started off pretty well. Dylan had only sent a few surly looks Quinn's way all weekend, and the Hazel-eyed girl managed to rein in her underhanded comments towered Rachel pretty much completely. She was even able to admit to herself, that Rachel wasn't as bad as she'd originally expected she would be after all of that time they were spending together.<p>

Santana and Brittany were still being Santana and Brittany but the others had become well versed in Brittany speak and knew how to indulge the blue-eyed dancer. As for Santana, well Farah and Dylan could bitch with the best of them.

"Damn Berry," Santana said after swallowing a piece of French toast. "How can you resist this? Your vegan ass is missing out."

"Rachel doesn't want to eat the baby chickens," Brittany frowned then looked to Rachel apologetically and said, "I'm sorry we like to eat baby chickens, Rach. Does it make you sad?"

The tiny brunette smiled softly at her friend. "You don't have to be sorry Brittany. I'm happy as long as I don't eat them. I want you to eat them if you like them." Brittany looked at her brightly and dug in for a bite of her own.

"Besides, I'm Ray's vegan buddy," Dakota added warmly. "So she isn't alone, okay." Brittany nodded her head while she chewed.

"So why don't you invite your mini boy toy to brunch?" Santana asked, looking across the table at the other blonde in the room.

"Sunday's just for the ladies," said Dylan.

"And as much as Antonio loves us, he'd rather poke his eyes out than be the only guy at this table. He couldn't handle all of us at once," Farah laughed out loud.

"I figured you as the type to have some tall muscle man on your arm," Quinn interjected.

"I know, right," said Santana.

"That's actually the way it was pre-Antonio," Lorna joined in the laughter.

"Trust me," Dylan chimed in. "What my man lacks in height, he makes up for in other areas." Farah and Lorna chuckled while Dakota rolled her eyes.

"We all know he has a big bank account," Rachel rolled her eyes as well. "If it wasn't for that, we wouldn't have the warehouse parties. I'm grateful to him for that," she finished now beaming.

"Ray, it wasn't Antonio's bank account she was talking about," Farah giggled.

Rachel took a moment to think about it until her face scrunched up. "Oh, wow, gross."

Dylan gave her a mischievous grin. "I'm just saying he's…"

"Guys, not at the table," Dakota chided.

Ignoring the warning the raven-haired girl went on to say, "I'm glad he has a couple of big things going for him. Your little elf could get stuck in in between the field goal in Mo'Nique's teeth." She said as she motioned at Lorna, referring to her gap.

"You better watch yourself," Dylan barked.

At the same time Farah hissed, "Watch who you're talking to."

Quinn elbowed the cheer captain snarling, "S!"

Rachel yelled out "Santana!"

Meanwhile Brittany said "Sanny, don't be mean."

Dakota was watching for Lorna's reaction and saw that she was snickering a bit, so she wasn't quick to reprimand. Seconds later Lorna raised her voice to drown out the others. "It was a joke people! God I was feeling left out. That's the first time Santana's gone there with me. Though I must tell you that this gap has only earned me praise where it matters," she laughed and sent a wink in the Hispanic girl's direction. "And as far as you calling me Mo'Nique goes, that woman has an enterprise and an Oscar….Oh I wish."

"Well at least someone at this table has a sense of humor," Santana giggled back. Everyone relaxed when they saw that Lorna wasn't upset.

"Great, now that that's settled can we talk about what Ray plans on doing next week?" Dakota spoke. "Need to get the track all set up and usually you have it all figured out by Saturday."

"I was thinki…" She was cut off by the doorbell. She huffed before saying, "I got it." She sprung up and went into the other room.

"Can you pass me the fruit salad please," Quinn requested looking at Dakota.

"Sure. Here you go," was the response as she passed the former cheer captain the bowl of mixed fruit.

"Lore," Rachel yelled from the other room, "your _friend _is at the door."

Lorna's eyes took on a surprised, yet slightly annoyed look. "Yeah, okay. I'm coming," she yelled back, standing to her feet. The ladies of the Berry house looked at her with concerned, while the three guests just seemed curious. "It's cool," Lorna assured, looking at Dylan. "Be back soon." Rachel had already abandoned the older woman at the front door and reentered the kitchen. Seeing Rachel enter the kitchen alone gave Quinn pause. Rachel may have been different these days, but her manners were still in place, at least until now.

Lorna took her leave and the others went on eating their breakfast. Trying not to buy into the tension that had set in, Farah asked Dylan, "You shopping today?"

"You know it," the shorter blonde in the room responded. "If Ray here would just tell me what she's doing Friday, we could pick out an outfit."

"I can wear an outfit on stage more than once you know?"

"You can also get Farkota to squeal your name," Dylan smiled darkly, slightly glancing at Quinn. "But that doesn't mean you should do it when I'm in the house."

"Oh my god, shut up, D," Dakota gasped.

"Wait, I want to hear more about this," Santana smirked at Rachel. "Berry, I'm hurt. I wants in on some of the Berry loving."

"Goodness, S" Quinn snapped. "Your girlfriend is right there."

Brittany smiled wide. "That would be so much fun. Can we?"

"I'm afraid not Britt," Rachel answered sweetly. "I've got my hands full, but I have no objection to kisses."

"Oh yay. You're good at that too."

"Seriously, Berry?" Quinn looked at her offended.

Dylan laughed at the Quinn's frustration but quickly stopped at the sound of raised voices in the living room. She was up and out of her seat, heading to the other room in seconds. The rest of the girls followed suit.

"I told you I'm done," Lorna said firmly. "I'm just not feeling this whole undercover lover thing anymore."

"You're full of shit and you know it, Lo," the older woman said just as firmly. The woman's eyes were an amber color but they seemed so much darker in the moment. "Come on, you know I love you."

"No, fuck you Sharon. I'm not gonna live my life according to what _your_ husband's schedule happens to look like. I was stupid to even go there with you in the first place." This was the first time Quinn had actually seen Lorna angry and it shocked her a bit.

"Babe…"

"No, Shar! Fuck, you're trippin' more than ever. I mean come on. You freaked out on me because Rachel sang to me, Rachel of all people. The girl is my damn cousin."

"Through adoption, anyways I told you I was sorry about that," The woman spat before shifting her eyes, catching sight of the group of woman that had accumulated behind the unsuspecting black woman. "Oh great, and here's that damn peanut gallery," she said dryly. "Can we just go back to my place and talk about this?"

Lorna gave her fellow companions a glance before turning back around. "Why? So instead of talking we can just end up screwing in the bed you share with _him_?"

"Quit being such a dumb bitch….I said we'll talk and that's what we'll do, damn it!"

"Hey," Dylan screeched. "You have one more time to talk crazy to her like that before I throw something at your head."

"Dylan, violence isn't necessary." This was Rachel. "But I ask that you refrain from speaking to her that way or I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Little girl I don't have the time or the energy to get into it with you," she said to the brunette singer.

"You need to respect Ray, especially here," Lorna defended.

At the same time Quinn hissed, "She can say whatever the hell she wants in her own house," nearly repeating what Rachel had told her weeks earlier.

"Baby, just come with me," Sharon said, trying to muster up what was left of her patience, while disregarding the punk girl's words.

"She said no," Dakota ground out.

"You don't have anything to do with this," Sharon shot back.

"Well Lorna does and you aren't listening to her, I may as well give it a go."

"Just get out of here," Farah threw in.

"I knew getting mixed up with you would be nothing but fucking trouble," the older blonde snared at the dark girl. "Just because you act like a damn adult sometimes doesn't mean you can sustain…." She shook her head, "just a little cunt," she murmured under her breath.

"Oh, hell no," Santana yelled out as the room became loud with commotion. Quinn stepped in front of Rachel automatically and grabbed hold of her hand for reasons she wasn't about to delve into. "Bitch, you're about to meet one of the razor blades I gots up in my hair." The Latina went to reach up into her dark locks when a blur of orange flew through the air and left Sharon clutching at her jaw.

"What did I tell you," Dylan hollered. "Now get gone before I throw the matching candle holder at you." She nodded toward the coffee table where sure enough, the other candle holder stood untouched.

The older woman made one more attempt to get Lorna's attention but her now ex, only turned around and walked in the other direction, throwing a "Goodbye Sharon," over her shoulder.

Feeling like she didn't get her two cents in, Brittany walked to the door and in her best angry voice said, "You don't have to go home but you have to get the hell out of here." Then she gave a proud look for having found a reason to use the saying and closed the door before the woman could respond.

The rest of brunch was awkward at best. Santana and Dylan were brooding, while Lorna pretended like everything was just fine. Dakota was mad, though she tried to hide it away as if she was afraid if she let it be known, mayhem would ensue around the table. Brittany was upset, which only urged Santana more into her own anger. Dylan was livid beyond reason. Rachel just seemed sad for her cousin but tried to put her feelings into calming Santana, Dylan, and Farah's individual rants. After about fifteen minutes, they all gave up on the meal and cleared the table.

* * *

><p><strong>So there is lack of Faberry in this chapter but there was a method to my madness. Next chapter will be full of Faberry interaction and badass Rachel will be making an appearance. I needed to get this stuff out there before I could bring in the next step of things. I hope you enjoyed and as always I am pandering for more of your wonderful reviews. Yes, I have no shame, okay maybe a little but not to this extent. <strong>


	5. Roll with the Punches

**Title:** When Secrets Come Out to Play

**Chapter 5/?** : Roll with the Punches

**Fandom:** Glee  
><strong>Pairings: <strong>Rachel Berry /Quinn Fabray Side Brittany/ Santana Rachel/Others minor Quinn/OC  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 for sexual themes and eventual smutt.  
><strong>Word Length<strong>: 2000+ per chapter.  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Quinn puts her quest to find herself on hold in order to figure out the suddenly more mysterious Rachel Berry. She soon finds that there is more to the little brunette than she ever thought possible. Perhaps she'll even figure herself out on the way. Punk!Quinn Semi-Baddass!Rachel.

**Spoilers: **All aired episodes, only a few things from season three as it's AU for the most part. **NO LUCY CABOOSY!**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "Glee" because if I did, well there would be lots of Berrios love. I do own a few of the OC's, though Dylan has a crazy mind of her own.

**Thanks to t8kmybreathaway/LadyHawke69 for doing wonderful beta work.**

**I love you all for putting this story on alerts and favorites. For all that take time to review, you make me happy in the best of ways. I'm posting a couple of days early because I'm weak and couldn't help myself.**

**A/N: A little late but I tend to Finn bash if you have yet to notice. I also do miner Will bashing as well. I like the guy well enough but he's not the best teacher. I try not to go too far with it in both cases but I do go there.**

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><p>"Where are you?" The former Cheerio came out of her private world at the words coming out of the smaller girl.<p>

"The same place you are," Quinn replied dryly.

"No, I mean when you look so serious and contemplative?"

"When I look like that, I _am_ being serious and contemplative. Why does everyone find that so off putting?" She was annoyed, but tried her best to bite back the tone. "I like to see what's going on around me, and then maybe think about it."

"I can't say I blame you, it's just….well, most people do it alone, not with people around."

"I was alone. You're the one that felt the need to interrupt," she chuckled a little to convey that she wasn't as annoyed as it seemed. She was sure Rachel had sought her out on this cold Monday morning. Quinn knew by now that Rachel knew damn well where to find her during their free periods, under the bleachers on the football field.

"Sorry about that," Rachel smiled softly as she looked to the ground.

Quinn snorted. "No you aren't. But it's okay. How can I help you?"

"I finally figured out what song I want to do on Friday."

"For glee, or the party?"

"Well both, however, I was referring to the party," the little diva answered. "I was hoping that maybe I could get your opinion on an outfit to go with it."

"Doesn't Dylan help you with that stuff?" Quinn queried.

"Between trying to spend time with Antonio and Lorna's….stuff, she's got a lot on her plate. Besides, I thought it'd be nice for us to, I don't know, bond a little."

"Bond?" Quinn lifted a sculpted blonde brow.

"Well, yeah, I mean we've been spending a fair amount of time together outside of school functions, yet we haven't really had time to the two of us. Even Santana, Brittany, and I have had some time to bond."

"Is that what they're calling it," the taller girl mumbled.

"Excuse me?"

"There are no excuses for you, Berry." Quinn glared falsely. "What do you need from me?"

"Despite Dylan's need to dote on me with her boyfriend's money, I have a great many outfits to mix and match, already in my closet. I was thinking you could come over after glee and maybe do some homework first."

"Uh….I guess I could," Quinn stated in an unsure tone, though she was actually feeling pretty good about the invitation. The girls hadn't spent much time alone, and oddly enough, Quinn could finally admit to herself that she wanted to.

"Superb," Rachel said with a look of accomplishment. "We can order some dinner as well, provided that you are amiable to the idea."

"Yeah, whatever. I'll follow you in my car."

"Well, okay then." The brunette found herself at a sudden loss for words. "I guess I'll see you in glee."

"See ya." Quinn said back faster than she had planned. Rachel gave her a little wave goodbye and a smile before heading back into the building.

* * *

><p>Quinn could tell that Rachel was mildly surprised that she actually waited around after glee to go back to her place. They'd seen a lot of one another at the singer's house, though they were never alone. Quinn didn't even sleep in the same room when she found herself staying over. In fact, she had only seen the inside of the other girl's room once. Rachel always ended up in Dylan's room, while Brittany and Santana took her room and Quinn opted to sleep on the couch down stairs because she refused to sleep in the same room as Brittany and Santana knowing that they were screwing like rabbits. None the less, the little brunette was a little surprised Quinn had gone through with it.<p>

Now they sat in Rachel's much to be expected pink room. If it hadn't been for the playbills on the wall, the hazel-eyed girl would have felt like she was smack in the middle of a strawberry milkshake, minus the chill factor. Neither of them had much homework, so that had only taken them about an hour after glee to finish.

"So, whose version are you doing?" Quinn questioned.

"Peggy Lee's, of course," answered Rachel as if it were obvious, "though, with a Rachel Berry twist."

"Of course."

"Are we going for the hooker look again?" Quinn drawled as she watched the smaller girl hold up a sheer red strapless dress.

"I'll have you know that I look much better than your average hooker on stage," Rachel jested. "What about this?" She now held up a blue skirt and matching tube top.

"Stick with the red theme," Quinn returned. "When people think "Fever" they think hot and hot makes them think of the color red."

"My consensus exactly. What about this?" Rachel held up a long flowing red halter dress, complete with slit. "Wait hold on," she added, effectively stopping the pink-haired girl from answering. Rachel disappeared back into the closet. "Give me just a minute." More like two minutes later the girl reemerged wearing the garment. "Okay, I'm ready."

The corners of the former Cheerio's lips quirked upward. Rachel looked, well she just looked... "With the red pumps?"

"Duh," Rachel giggled as she returned to the closet.

"Dylan isn't going to be all pissed that she didn't get consulted with this is she?" Quinn asked a little louder so that the songstress could hear in the closet.

"Not at all. She really does have a lot going on. Is there a reason you're worried?"

"Other than the fact that she looks at me like if we were to meet in a back ally, only one of us would make it out and it'd be her?" Quinn huffed.

"And they say that I'm a drama queen," Rachel laughed as she made her way back out of the closet, now wearing pair of green pajama bottoms and a white tank top.

"No, really," Quinn stressed. "You have to see it."

"My girls are really protective, Quinn," Rachel explained. "Dylan just happens to be the one that reacts to things the fastest and the strongest. It's just her way."

"What's her deal with me?"

Rachel actually rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Are you really asking me this?"

"No, I actually want to know where socks go when they lose their mate in the dryer," Quinn said sarcastically. "Yeah, I'm really asking."

"You really don't see how you talk to me sometimes? Granted you've come a long ways from calling me man-hands or treasure trail but you still have a special way of being bitchy reserved just for me at times." Quinn really had nothing to say. It was true. She couldn't seem to stop herself most of the time but recently something had seemed to shift, if even just the slightest. "If she'd ever heard about what went on during freshman and most of sophomore year, she would be a hell of a lot worse." Rachel actually sounded somewhat bitter at this point. Quinn looked to the floor as she sat forward on the bed. She was suddenly nervous. The brunette must have recognized this because she added, "If it makes you feel any better, she has a little bit more respect for you since yesterday. You, Brittany, and Santana."

"And why would that be?"

"Brittany and Santana stuck up for Lor. That will always get you in Dylan's good graces," she began. "And you…..um…well you stuck up for me with Sharon. You even put yourself between us when stuff got out of hand. Why did you do that anyway?"

Quinn looked to the ceiling. "Because we're kind of friends now and she was a bitch on wheels."

"That she was," Rachel retorted with irritation at the memory. "Lorna deserves so much better."

Seeing an opportunity to get the heat off of herself, Quinn asked, "What's up with that anyway? Lorna's so sweet and she hooks up with some chick that isn't only married but so not even worth her time."

"She didn't know that at first. She met her at a lecture on the history of Greek mythology," The taller girl looked awkwardly at her. "Yeah, she's kind of a history nerd. Anyway Lorna just thought she was closeted and she is all about letting people come out at their own pace," Rachel stated. "They'd been seeing each other for about nine months before she had a run in with Sharon and her husband out at dinner together."

"And she just stayed with her? Where was her pride?" Quinn really wanted to know. She just didn't understand. Sure she'd been a cheater and had even been cheated on, but she hadn't done it for long periods of time and marriage certainly wasn't involved. Her father had been a cheater and had been made to leave. While she resented his hypocrisy and had felt somewhat avenged by his being kicked out, she felt like her mother never would have welcomed her home had he not had an affair, leaving her alone and longing for companionship. There was a part of her that even resented her mother for not standing up for her when she was kicked out, yet magically found her voice when she had been the one wronged. Her feelings were mixed about the whole situation.

"Don't judge her," Rachel bit out, though she hadn't meant to sound so harsh. "She was already invested. It's hard to turn someone down that tells you everything that you want to hear. The thing about her is she never diluted herself into believing Sharon would leave him, but by then she was willing to be on standby. She isn't proud of it but it's the truth."

"That's incredibly...typical."

"I suppose so. The worst part is, if Sharon hadn't gotten all crazy jealous these days, I'm afraid that Lorna would have stayed with her."

"What if she takes her back?"

"She won't, not after the way she talked to Dakota and me." Rachel assured. "But if she does, we'll be here for her when it all goes bad again."

"You wouldn't try to talk her out of it?" Quinn asked incredulously.

"You can't tell people about the ones they love, Quinn." The former HBIC scrunched her brow. "That is to say, they won't listen unless they want out anyway. You can tell them facts, although, other than that they'll do what they want. I should know," she stressed. "I fell into a relationship with Jesse and ignored all the warnings about him because he told me everything I wanted to hear. I doubt I would have ever been the one to break things off first where he was concerned. And then there was the other guy but we need not discuss him."

"Agreed," Quinn quickly stated. "He was like _my _Jesse, minus the eggs…..and the being in love thing….That was more about popularity I guess." Remembering the agreement she'd just made, Quinn went on to change the subject again. "So you promised me dinner, Berry."

"Oh yes," said Rachel. "I have a craving for vegan pizza. How about you?"

"I like my Pizza normal, cheesy, and loaded with meat," Quinn smirked.

"So, we'll be getting two separate pizzas," Rachel half sneered, though light heartedly. "Come on, I have delivery menus down stairs." She motioned for the other girl to get up before she grabbed her cell phone off of the bed and slipped it into her pocket.

When the singer opened the door to the bedroom she was regaled in laughter from the first floor. The house had been empty when they got there, however, due to the soundproofing on her room; she hadn't heard anyone come home.

"No really," Dylan's voice boomed through the laughter. "Think about it. Some old man lures kids to sit on his lap with the promise of toys. He watches them all year long and then sneaks into their houses once a year. Yeah, nothing creepy about that."

"I'm really disturbed at your logic," Lorna said, though she was laughing as she said it. "I'll never look at Santa Clause the same again. Thanks for that."

"And don't get me started on the elf slave labor. I'm just saying….."

"What are you two talking about," Rachel cut in as she got to the last few steps, Quinn not far behind.

"Just another one of Dylan's theories of how the world is full of creeps and jerks. Nothing you need to worry about, hun," Lorna happily replied.

"Yet I feel the need to worry," said the brunette girl.

"Hey there, Quinn," Lorna waved to the girl with the pink hair and nose ring. Quinn waved back with a smile.

"Hey," Dylan half smiled and nodded her head.

"We're going to order some pizza. You want in?" Rachel asked walking over to the pair on the couch.

"As long as mine has real cheese on it," Dylan mocked.

"And I want hamburger on mine." This was Lorna.

"It looks like I get one all to myself. If Dakota was here we could share."

"It's not like there is a rule that you can't put some up for later, Ray," Lorna chuckled. "She can eat when she and Farah make it back from the tattoo parlor."

"Who's getting the tat?" Quinn asked.

"Neither this time," said Rachel. "That's Dakota's real job." Quinn felt bewildered. She'd noticed Dakota's tattoos the first time she'd seen her, but she hadn't thought of her as the type to create them.

"Doing the DJ thing once a week doesn't exactly keep her bills paid," Lorna answered Quinn's unasked question. "She's good. She did mine and it's beautiful." Before the hazel-eyed girl could say anything, Lorna was standing up and tugging at purple t-shirt to reveal her right hand shoulder. It was a heart with sprouted angel wings and a halo hovering over the other image. Below the heart was; _JAM 3-22-57 - 4-26-07._

Quinn moved to examine the piece of body art up close. "It's really pretty."

"Thanks," Lorna smiled. "It's for my mom, Jean Ann Maloney."

Quinn took a moment to contemplate the girl's loss and how she'd chosen to commemorate it. "I almost got a tramp stamp of Ryan Seacrest's face over the summer, but apparently even I hadn't lost my mind quite that much when it came down to it. If I do it I want it to mean something the way yours does."

"You made a good call," answered Lorna.

"Ryan Seacrest 's face? Yeah I'm so glad you resisted that urge. You could stand to lose the nose ring though. It looks like a booger," Dylan said with a genuine smile. "So…Pizza."

An hour later the ladies were sitting in the living room enjoying their pizza and participating in silly conversation.

"What could you possibly have against pet names?" Rachel asked seriously.

"Not, all pet names, just generic ones that are used with significant others. Names like baby, or babe," Lorna replied.

"Again I ask why?"

"When someone uses those terms, they don't have to worry about saying the wrong name. They can have a wife and a girlfriend and as long as they say baby, they don't have to worry about tipping them off." She was laughing, though it was obvious to the other three girls in the room that she was drawing from experience. "From now on they better call me by my name or even nicknames, but never babe or baby."

"Hey," Dylan playfully swatted at her friend. "I call Antonio baby all the time."

"Yeah but think about all the other babies you've had before him….." Lorna said quirking her brow.

"Too high to count?" Rachel joked.

"Oh go to Hell," the blonde joked back.

"At least we'll be in good company," Lorna laughed, pointing at Dylan. "I'll be sure to save you a seat, love."

"If I didn't love you so much, I'd hate you," the skinny blonde retorted.

Rachel shook her head. "But you do love us so there."

"Great comeback Ray," Dylan said sardonically.

"You people are crazy," Quinn finally said with a chuckle.

"Yet here you are," said Dylan, who had been quite amicable that evening. "What does that say about you?"

"That I've really have gone downhill."

They all giggled at the response until the ring of Rachel's phone brought the girl's hand to her pajama pocket. She briefly eyed the screen before quickly answering it. "Hey dad," She said eagerly. After a few moments she asked, "How's daddy, can I talk to him?" Another pause went by. "Oh," Rachel's face visibly fell. "I'm going to take this to the kitchen," she whispered to her friends. Lorna and Dylan looked at her with worried eyes.

"I'm going to take off," Quinn whispered quickly before the smaller girl could leave the room. "It's a school night." Rachel nodded.

"Thanks for the help," Rachel said back.

"Thank you for dinner," said Quinn, just before Rachel turned her back to her and headed for the other room.

"I'll walk you out," Lorna offered with a warm smile.

"Cool," the glee club member answered. Dylan silently went into the kitchen where she knew Rachel was.

* * *

><p>Rachel showed up to school looking worse for the wear. So much so that even Santana had commented on it, without even being prompted by Brittany. While the Latina had a blast with Rachel on the weekends; at school the other girl was still considered someone she tolerated, not liked. Rachel had been the one to insist upon it and the Latina agreed. Brittany was allowed to hug her and talk to her because she was Brittany, but if Santana and Rachel suddenly became good friends in front of the masses, people would ask questions.<p>

It wasn't her clothes or anything. It was her eyes. She had obviously had a long night because it looked as if she hadn't gotten any sleep. Darks bags circled her eyes and her show smile wasn't even turned on.

"Do you know what's up with Rachel?" Santana asked with genuine concern.

"I think I might have an idea but I don't know if she'll tell me," Quinn answered from her spot by Santana's locker.

"She gave me a back pat hug instead of a cuddly bug hug so it must be big," Brittany said with a little sadness.

"A what and a what?" Quinn's eyebrows knitted together.

"You know when people want to get hugs over with so they pat you on the back when they're hugging you? Yeah she did that. She usually gives me the cuddly bug hugs that are all tight and warm. She fits in my arms and snuggles a little into me." The tall blonde's face turned up into a smile. "At least she didn't give me a half hug. Those are no fun at all."

"Do you think it has something to do with her dads?" Santana piped up as she trailed her hand up her girlfriend's back.

"What do you know about that?" Quinn quickly spat out.

"Just that they aren't around," the Cheerios co-captain replied. "But obviously you know something we don't."

"Look, Farah told me something but Rachel doesn't know that I know and I can't go telling you about it until she's ready for you to hear it," said the pink-haired girl, trying to keep her voice down.

"So something's up with the Berry daddies?"

"I can't say either way, San."

"Fine just…" Santana looked at Quinn a little worried. Brittany's face started to mimic Santana's. "Check in on her today okay."

The former blonde let a small smile slip at her friend's blatant concern. "We have the same free period. I'll talk to her then."

"Good. See you later, Q." Santana closed her locker and proceeded to escort her blonde lover to their shared English class.

At lunch she saw the girl disappear into the parking lot with Puck and the two didn't return until the warning bell rang; not that the pink-haired girl was waiting on them or anything. She'd had expected to see the small brunette at what had apparently become their spot under the bleachers but Rachel didn't show during their free period.

* * *

><p>They didn't have glee on Tuesdays or Thursdays, and the only class they had together was AP Biology, which Rachel didn't show for. So Quinn hadn't been able to talk to the little singer all day. Having failed at her mission, she opted to show up at the Berry's in hopes to get see what was going on with the other girl.<p>

"Quinn, hi," Lorna gave a sad smile from the door before shifting aside to let the punk girl in. "Two week days in a row," she attempted to jest.

"Yep, just can't get rid of me," Quinn joked back as she shuffled into the living room. "I was hoping to see Rachel."

"She isn't feeling so hot, hun. Maybe you could give her a call a little later?"

Quinn went to agree but Rachel's voice filtered through the air meekly. "It's cool. Come on up Quinn." The former cheerleader silently followed orders and began her trek up the stairs, "You feeling okay Lore?"

"I'm good," she said, obviously forcing a smile, much like her cousin. "Dylan's on her way home."

"Okay. You know where to find me if you need me."

"Sure do."

Rachel turned to finish her way up the stairs followed by her schoolmate. Once inside her bedroom she closed the door.

Before Quinn could even begin to question her, the singer began to speak. "I know you know about my daddy," Rachel said quietly. "Farah told me the day after she told you. Thanks for not bringing it up. And I can only assume you've kept it to yourself."

Quinn nodded. "I…is that what has you and Lorna upset today? Did something happen?"

"He just had a really bad day yesterday. His head wasn't in the right place and…." She tried to sound optimistic but for all her acting skills, she just wasn't delivering. "He..he," she'd began to tear up. "He couldn't remember who we were for a while. He was really confused and it just really rattled us."

Quinn had a flash of both sadness and jealousy. Her own father had made a choice to disown her. He wanted to erase her and as far as he was concerned the only daughter he had was his perfect Fran. She was the one who had done everything he'd ever asked of her. Fran wasn't the fuck up. It only took one mistake for her to lose her father's love. Yet, here was Rachel, already morning a father that truly did love her unconditionally. He hadn't chosen to forget the child he had loved and cherished from the moment she had come into his life, though he had been dealt a hand that had led him to this.

"I don't know what to say." Quinn said truthfully. "We haven't been very close in the past, but it seems like every time I'm in a crisis, you're there for me. I'd like to be here or you now." Then she remembered the conversation she had overheard between Rachel and Puck. "I won't pretend like I've been this great supportive person, or even civil about things having to do with your parents, but I can tell you that it had nothing to do with you or them. It was about my own screwed up stuff."

"I know life's been hard on you," Rachel broke in.

"Yeah but it didn't mean I should have taken things out on you and anyone else that I saw fit." This was weird. She hadn't planned on actually discussing this.

"The past is the past alright," the songstress said a little louder. "I have other things to worry about in life and so do you. You've proven to be trustworthy so I'm not going to get into all of that."

Quinn nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. Not unless Lorna wants to," Rachel admitted. "Noah got me all talked out. He goes to the same synagogue as me and he's one of the few to have been confided in about it. Well his mom was and he was just there to hear it. Jacob Ben Israel, who does not attend the same synagogue, somehow knows as well, but Noah threatened to do some pretty scary things to him if he blabs about it to anyone at school. I'm surprised it isn't all over town but I guess us Berrys aren't much to talk about when it isn't about my parents homosexual union," she said bitterly.

"I wish I could tell you that it's all going to be alright," said the punk girl.

"But it probably won't," Rachel breathed as if it physically hurt to say. "I'm praying that it will. I want him to be okay again. God Quinn, I want to beg him to fight harder but I know he's doing the best he can." She didn't bother wiping away the hot tears rolling down her cheeks. Quinn just sat there on the edge of the bed listening. "On winter break Lorna and I are going to LA to be with them and I dread it just as much as I'm looking forward to it." She gave a dry chuckle. "Daddy is going to hate us seeing him like that and Dad is going to be so desperate for him to stay with us. They've been together since college. Dad doesn't know anything else."

Rachel wrapped her arms around herself as Quinn looked on. She wanted to hug the girl and assure her that things would soon look up. She wanted to but she felt like she didn't have the right. Who was she to swoop in and act as if they had some relationship that made it okay for her to do that? So she said the most honest thing she could think of in this situation. "You're a great daughter, Rachel." The small singer looked at her with confusion. "You are. You work so hard to be the daughter they deserve and you actually pull it off."

Rachel sniffled and realized that she was being given an out. "Their love is unconditional. You're father never deserved you and now he doesn't have you. You are better than him." She managed a genuine smile. "Even on your worst days, you've always been better."

"Um…Thanks," Quinn answered uncomfortably.

"I was simply stating fact," the brunette answered. "Not to be rude but I think I want to be alone now. Do you mind if we catch up tomorrow?"

"Sure," said the former blonde, eyes downcast. "I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

><p>Rachel had seemed to bounce back on Wednesday. She still seemed tired, though not as much. During their free period the duo sat in near silence as Quinn fiddled with an unlit cigarette and Rachel worked on some of the homework she had received from an earlier class. It seemed as if neither girl knew where to go from their discussion from the previous day, so they just didn't.<p>

Glee practice consisted of one run through of their sectionals material. Though, Rachel had been nonchalant about it all for over two months, most of the club was still waiting for her to take some control. She was on top of her game as far as her own performance quality, but she wasn't giving the rest of them the additional kick in the pants that they all had considered overbearing in the past.

Thursday was similar to the day before, minus glee. She did, however, make it to AP Biology.

* * *

><p>It was Friday when everything went to hell. Mr. Schuster only had them practice twice a week now so Friday was dedicated to free expression. Rachel hadn't shown yet, but that had become less of a shock these days. Sam was singing an ….interesting rendition of "When a Man Loves a Woman," which he was so obviously serenading a beaming Mercedes with, when a loud shriek and the sound of something being slammed against lockers was echoed through the halls.<p>

Like moths led to a flame, the various members of the club, along with their instructor, hurried to the hallway to get a glimpse of what was going on.

"You're dead you little freak, you hear me?" The threat came from a tall brunette Cheerio, whom Rachel had now pinned against the floor.

"Not before I rearrange your face, you stupid bitch," the smaller brunette screeched, stunning all her glee mates as well as the Spanish teacher. The Cheerio had managed to squirm from her back, allowing Rachel to palm a clump of hair that nearly matched her own with one hand and punched hard with the other.

"I'll make the rest of this year miserable for you, you little troll. A few slushies to the face will be a good day for you," said the girl trying to protect her bleeding nose.

"I'll go through hell every day if it means I can make you bleed a little bit more!" She thrashed her little fist and connected it with the taller girl's bottom lip. "Say something else about my daddy, whore. I dare you." She wasn't Rachel anymore. She was something else entirely.

Finally snapping out of their hazes, Mr. Shue screamed out, "Girls, that's enough."

Puck ran to pry his Jew-babe from the other girl. Normally he might find it hot to watch a chick fight, but this was Rachel and she wasn't this person. She was flailing and kicking when he separated her from the other body. "Come on Rach, stop fighting me."

"That's right, man-hands, listen to Puckerman."

"Shut up, Cindy," Quinn spat out as she watched Rachel still fighting against her constriction.

"You're nothing at this school now, Fabray. You have no power over me anymore," yelled the other girl from Mr. Schue's arms.

"But I do so shut your mouth, Holloman," Santana seethed.

"This little hobbit always forgets her place," the girl returned.

"Your ass is mine in practice," yelled the Latina.

"You're defending her now?" Cindy growled.

"And now would be a good time to stock up on blister cream because you'll be doing suicides til I get tired of seeing you in pain, and we know how much I likes to see you in pain," Santana snickered, pointing at the girl's face.

"Rach calm down. You got her good, babe." Puck tried again. It was a good thing the singer had worn a pair of skinny jeans that day because had she worn one of her signature outfits, she would have surly shown off all her goodies.

"Let me go, Noah," Rachel said through her flailing. "I haven't gotten her nearly as good as I should. She still has all of her teeth."

"Rachel, this isn't like you. I know you've been acting strange lately but fighting? I expect so much more from you," the teacher reprimanded.

"You didn't hear what she said to me!" Rachel was losing momentum but she was still struggling to get free.

"I don't care what she said. This is unacceptable."

"You're right," Rachel hissed through ragged breath. "I should have slammed her face into the floor the second I got her down there." Quinn was actually slightly frightened. Rachel Berry was a sweet girl that deplored violence and kept her language clean at school, this was, was….."That would have been acceptable."

"Your parents _are _abominations and so are you. That's why the black one's gonna croak. You should join him."

"What part of 'Shut your fucking mouth' don't you understand?" Quinn screamed, now lunging at the brunette cheerleader, but was pulled back by Sam.

"Oh, no girl didn't go there," said Mercedes.

At the same time Kurt breathed, "Oh, Rachel."

"Wait, what?" This was Finn.

"Rachel, is she telling the truth?" Asked Tina.

The guys looked on with concern, except for Kurt who said "Oh my God."

Brittany had started to tear up as she began getting the gist of what was being said. She parted herself from her girlfriend and marched up to a still squirming Rachel. "Rachel you're scary when you fight. Please stop. You're so tiny and I don't want you to get hurt." This seemed to get the other girl to finally calm down and she settled into her blonde friend's hug, letting Puck know it was okay to release her. She gave her a cuddly bug hug, because she didn't want Brittany worrying any more than she no doubt was in the moment.

When they parted Rachel quietly said "Santana can you and Brittany call Lorna and tell her I need her to come get me?" It was a reason to get Brittany away from the situation and Santana appreciated it. Whatever was going on behind the stormy eyes of Rachel Berry wasn't pretty and she and her secret friend were making a silent agreement to keep the tall blonde dancer away from it.

"Yeah sure." Santana answered. "Come on, B." Maybe not so secret anymore.

The couple disappeared into the music room, leaving a hallway full of gaping gleeks and a sneering Cheerio.

The little songstress looked at the concerned facial expressions of her fellow glee clubbers. "Rachel, why didn't you tell us?" Tina asked.

Tina had only wanted answers and to perhaps comfort the girl. She had meant no harm, but when Rachel saw her glee instructor's face and then Finn's followed by Artie and Sam's; when she saw Mercedes and Kurt look at her with such care, she couldn't take it. Quinn could see where this was going.

"Since when did you people give a damn?" She began to yell again. "Since when have any of you besides Noah and oddly enough lately Quinn, Santana, and Brittany, ever attempted to know anything past what you see at school every day?" For the first time Puck looked surprised at the revelation. He didn't know about Quinn, Brittany and Santana's places in his little friend's life. "Hell, even that was an accident. You can all take you're damn pity and concern and go straight to hell with it!" she spat.

"Rach, we dated," Finn said as if that was an explanation.

"And we spent more time breaking each other's hearts than not," she retuned spitefully. "You didn't want to know anything about me; you just wanted me to make out with you!"

"That's not true," he defended. "I listened to all that blabbing, didn't I?"

This guy was really picking now of all times to argue about a dead relationship. Even Kurt had thought better of challanging his friend's words in the moment. "Finn," Quinn cut in but was ignored.

"You're a flake Finn. You broke up with me whenever the wind blew you in another direction. Why would I trust you with this? Why would I trust any of you?" She yelled.

"You weren't my…uh….victim. You messed up plenty," he yelled back.

Puck had had enough. "Dude, so not cool. Not the time or the place."

"Yeah, nobody wants to hear about Hudson and that…..thing," Cindy threw in.

"You don't listen too good, do you?" Puck said lowly at the cheerleader. "You were told to shut up a few times." Cindy didn't reply.

"No, you know what? He's right, I'm not perfect. I mess up like every other teenager so I deserve everything crappy that ever has or will happen," she said sarcastically, turning around to walk away.

Puck scurried to pick up the diva's things that had scattered around the floor in the fight.

"Rachel, I'm sorry for what you're going through but you can't just walk away from this." Mr. Scheu had now let the Cheerio go. "The three of us need to head to Figgins' office."

"I don't give a shit," Rachel threw over her shoulder. "Let her cry to the principal if she wants. I'm done here."

"Rach," Quinn yelled after her.

"Give me a few hours Quinn. We can talk then," she yelled back.

Puck had caught up to her, causing Quinn a pang of frustration that Rachel had allowed his company, yet not hers.

"Rachel," Mr Schue tried again. She kept walking to the front doors.

"Since when are you friends with Rachel?" He wasn't accusing or anything. He genuinely wanted to know and it was obviously on all of their minds.

"That's none of your business." She gave the tall boy her deadliest glare. "I knew you were dumb but really? I can't believe either of us actually fought over you." Then she marched into the music room to collect her things. "I'll explain in the car," she said before Santana could ask any questions about Leroy Berry. Santana simply nodded.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading. I hope you liked this one as much as I do. It's my favorite so far. Rachel was way out of character in the end though everyone has a breaking point and to be honest, she should have gotten one at some point during the first two seasons. I'd love to know your thoughts on this chapter and yes that's me fishing for reviews.<strong>


	6. TKO

**Title:** When Secrets Come Out to Play

**Chapter 6/?** : T.K.O.

**Fandom:** Glee  
><strong>Pairings: <strong>Rachel Berry /Quinn Fabray Side Brittany/ Santana Rachel/Others minor Quinn/OC  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 for sexual themes and eventual smutt.  
><strong>Word Length<strong>: 2000+ per chapter.  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Quinn puts her quest to find herself on hold in order to figure out the suddenly more mysterious Rachel Berry. She soon finds that there is more to the little brunette than she ever thought possible. Perhaps she'll even figure herself out on the way. Punk!Quinn Semi-Baddass!Rachel.

**Spoilers: **All aired episodes, only a few things from season three as it's AU for the most part. **NO LUCY CABOOSY!**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "Glee" because if I did, there would be lesbian orgies and Samcedes would be on without the angsty crap. I do own a few of the OC's, though Dylan has a crazy mind of her own.

**I love you all so much for the reviews, faves, and alerts. You make me a very happy gleeky girl.**

**Thanks to t8kmybreathaway/LadyHawke69 for doing wonderful beta work.**

* * *

><p>Santana was in charge of the carpool on Fridays, which provided Quinn with a perfect opportunity to explain things to her cheerleader friends. She would normally hang out with the couple until they went out, but she wanted to check in on Rachel. She was going to give the girl a few hours, as she promised, so she had Santana drop her off at her own home to wait out the time.<p>

Santana and Brittany wanted to check in on the little singer as well, but the hazel-orbed girl convinced them that she should go it alone this time around. Santana protested, however, with Brittany as back up, the tanned girl submitted to the request.

At 6:02 pm, Quinn was crossing the threshold of the Berry home. "How is she?" She asked meekly as she shuffled across the living room.

"She's was up there brooding last I checked," Lorna said just as meekly. "She told me what happened. Part of me wants to scold her but then there's that other part of me that is happy that she stood up for herself."

"She was pretty crazed," Quinn admitted. "We were all stunned. But something eventually had to give."

"This is true," said the dark girl. "I just wish I didn't already know that she's going to feel pretty guilty by Monday morning."

"What does she have to feel guilty about?" Quinn arched a perfectly sculpted brow.

"She just went against her belief in non-violence in a huge way. Plus there's the stuff she said to you guys," Lorna explained. "Right now she's angry with the world, but when she calms down a bit, she'll feel the guilt. It'll be the Sunshine thing all over again and in my opinion that offence was worse."

"She told you about that, did she?" Quinn chuckled at the memory.

"Yep. We all know. She really did hate herself for it. Uncle Hiram and Uncle Leroy weren't very impressed with her actions either. The fact that she knew where and inactive crack house was didn't do much to ease their minds either."

"I've always wondered about that," said Quinn.

"She's been real tight lipped about that," Lorna sat down on the couch, motioning for Quinn to do the same. The girl with the pink hair joined the other on the couch. "Regardless, we were all real proud that they got a chance to make peace in New York."

"I didn't know that they had."

"I'm guessing that you didn't know a lot of things about my cousin," Lorna gave a soft smile. "That Noah kid didn't know what to do with himself when Ray introduced us today. He waited with her until I got to the school."

"I would have waited with her but she said she needed a few hours." The former Cheerio and the two current had gone out of a different exit, specifically for that purpose.

"Yeah she told me. I'd send you up there but she's getting a nap in before she has to get ready for tonight." said Lorna. "She's asked not to be disturbed for another," The woman with the braids glimpsed at her cell phone and finished with, "another forty minutes. But you can wait if you'd like."

"Thanks, I think I'll take you up on that. Um, she's still performing?"

"Yep. I tried to get her to take a night off and she refused. I imagine you know that singing is the way she gets her feelings out. She called Dakota and told her she was changing her song." Lorna snorted. "Had she not been filled in on Ray's afternoon, she would have bitched about having to throw the music together on such short notice, or just out right refused to do it."

"Yeah she kind of scared the crap out of all of us. She was a little demon. I wouldn't want to be on her bad side about now either." The punk girl cringed.

Before Quinn could get all of her words out Dylan came bounding through the front door. "Where's my girl at? Where is my little Ali?" The blonde was beaming with pride. "Were you there?" She asked Quinn. "I knew my girl was a little scrapper."

"Chill hun," Lorna warned. "She grabbed my leftover vicodin, took one and hid away in her room. She's probably asleep and she really needs it."

"Damn," Dylan huffed, but the corners of her mouth lifted as she turned her attention back to Quinn. "Did she make her cry?"

"No, but I could tell she wanted to," Quinn said, smiling as well. "I bet she's crying to her mommy right about now though. I would be if my nose and lips looked like pulp."

"You know, I think I might like you after all," Dylan laughed. "Just keep in mind that I can pull a Rachel Ali if you break her."

"Dylan," Lorna hissed.

"No, I get it," Quinn answered. "Rachel and I don't have the best history, but I hope we can fix that a little. We're friends now and it doesn't hurt that we're both over Finn so…."

"Thank god," the other two girls both belted.

Quinn laughed. "Thank god indeed."

"I mean, from what I've heard about him I don't think that he's a bad kid or anything. I just think he needs some guidance. Maybe some help figuring out girls or something. He wreaked havoc on Ray's insecurities." Lorna said a little more seriously. Meanwhile Dylan was giving his friend a look that said 'the kid is beyond help'.

"Yeah he tries, but he can't seem to help himself. And then it's like everyone thinks it's you that's crazy and not him that's messed up," Quinn admitted, slightly dejected. The only person she'd ever mentioned having insecurities to was Rachel, oddly enough.

"Hey, hey," Lorna said sweetly. "We all have insecurities. It's just that we should be with people that help us worry about them less. They should show us that it's our insecurities that make us worth loving not easily disposable." She giggled. "I should know."

"Shoot, girl," Dylan said in an understanding tone. "I know what people think of me when they see me. 'A dumb blonde, high maintenance, gold digger.' I keep myself looking good for my man and people act like I set the woman's movement back eighty years because I use his cash to do it." She was actually being soft. "But the truth is," she took a deep breath, "I'm scared out of my mind that he'll up and leave me at any moment when he decides I'm too much to handle. Maybe he'll go find some girl that doesn't have the same kind of naughty bits he has."

Lorna looked at her closest friend with empathy. Quinn's jaw was about to hit the floor. "Hold on, what?

Dylan chuckled awkwardly. "I'm pre-op."

"But you don't look…I mean, Did you….." Quinn stopped trying to speak in order to keep from further pushing her foot in her mouth.

"I know," Dylan said proudly. "I look like a girl. I haven't had any work done yet." She got a glance of Quinn eyeing her chest. "These are real, small but real. I was a heavy kid and once I lost all the weight, the boobs just stayed put."

Rather than turn it into some huge conversation, Quinn just said, "I wish I knew how to get rid of them. Insecurities, I mean."

"Oh, honey please. We all do. Thankfully, whenever I'm with my guy, I forget about them for a while. But when we aren't together, I hide them the best way I know how. I bite, and I bite hard. I get aggressive; extra protective."

"I've noticed," Quinn answered.

Lorna laughed along with Dylan. "I play mommy," Lorna continued to laugh.

"She tries to take care of everyone, and I mean even if they don't always deserve it." Dylan added half affectionately half annoyed.

"Farah gets all loud and crazy. She gets borderline obnoxious. Dakota tries to be calm, but she needs to be the boss if things start to get out of hand around her," Lorna continued.

"I'm guessing Santana hides behind the bitch with attitude and a quick tongue that cuts like a razor blade." This was Dylan.

"And that Brittany, I'm convinced there's a genius under all that cute naiveté." Quinn nodded in agreement with a huge smile on her face. "We all know how Ray is." All three giggled. "And then there's you, Miss Fabray."

"I used to try to make other people feel worse than I did; now I just stick with keeping it to myself, and the makeover I guess."

"Well I guess you're making progress," Lorna nudged. "You just admitted it to us."

"Yeah, I guess I did," was the nervous reply. "Um, I think I'll talk to Rachel later tonight. Usually Santana, Brittany, and I are getting ready together by now. We like to go to dinner first." Quinn got up off the couch.

"See you in a couple of hours Quinn." Lorna stood and gave the younger girl a hug.

"Later, Pinkie Lee," the blonde said good-naturedly.

* * *

><p>The usual sound of Dakota sounded through the room. "Hey there sexy ladies. It's that time again. We have something a bit different for you tonight. We still got Rach-B but she's gonna do it riot girl style this time around. So give it up for my girl will ya?" It wasn't like Dakota to add a disclaimer before introducing the small brunette, but tonight she apparently felt inclined to do so. "Come on out, Killer."<p>

Quinn took note of the microphone stand. Since Quinn had been coming to these parties, the songbird had always used a headset, so this was a first.

Rachel came out wearing the same outfit she had worn to school that day. Her jeans were intact but the white button up had a few noticeable stains that had become almost brown with the time passed. It was missing a few buttons and the right sleeve was torn. Her hair was still a mess, and her shiner was definitely glaring. She also had a bruise on her left cheek, but her face still looked better than Cindy's. There was no makeup but her hands were bandaged.

"Well, hello, hello," Rachel boomed at the quizzical audience. "Yeah I know. It appears that I met up with the business end of some snooty bitch's fist," she laughed maniacally. "But don't worry my lovelies. Compared to what I did to her, I came out sittin' pretty. This," She motioned towered her shirt, "totally came from her, not me." The crowd laughed at her antics. "As you can see, this isn't going to be sexy. Sometimes I want to just sing for the sake of singing; without worrying about pitch or tone so that's what we're doing tonight. I had a shitty week and I need to get it out in a way I couldn't when I was pounding on that broad." And with that the music began and Rachel began to belt.

_**Want more real attention.  
>At my expense guess you forgot to mention.<br>You talk good,  
>I'll eat glass.<strong>_

The song was so far from what Quinn had ever expected. Yes, Rachel was full of surprises but this was, wow. She was sure she'd slipped down the rabbit hole with all the new things she had seen and heard from Rachel these days. This just managed to prove it.

_**I heard you read my mind behind my back.  
>Outside, I'm waitin'<br>by the car when you're hesitatin'.  
>Take a good look.<br>Take a photo.  
>Write about it in your tiny notebook.<strong>_

She was bouncing on the balls of her heels, singing into the microphone like she owned the room but could give two shits about how well she maintained it. There was no flirty, sexy Rachel, at least not intentionally.

**Don't you know? You're out cold.**  
><strong>Don't you know? It's our dance-floor!<strong>  
><strong>T.K.O. Hear it on the radio.<strong>  
><strong>T.K.O. Play it on the stereo.<strong>  
><strong>T.K.O. Watch a live video.<strong>  
><strong>T.K.O.<strong>  
><strong>T.K.O-O<strong>  
><strong>Oh, oh..<strong>  
><strong>Oh, oh..<strong>

She pulled the microphone off of the stand and began walking around the stage erratically. She wasn't making eye contact with the audience, though she looked out into the mass of people from time to time. Her doe eye weren't innocent, or smoldering, or even angry; they were searching desperately for something. Maybe she was trying to find answers or maybe she just wanted to find something to focus on, Quinn couldn't quite decipher.

_**Got your money safe.  
>Wanna be "In".<br>Everyday it just gets closer to you.  
>I say my piece,<br>And when it's over, you'll be on your knees, I..  
>got this soul thing on the go -ho.<br>Read about it at your Barnes & Noble.  
><strong>_

Now she was jumping around the stage like it was the most freeing thing she'd ever done. The crowd began to join in with T.K.O.s.

_**Don't you know? It's our dance-floor!  
>T.K.O. Play it on the stereo.<br>T.K.O. Watch a live video.**_ _**  
>T.K.O. Hear it on the radio.<br>T.K.O.  
>T.K.O-O<strong>_

She was lost in her own head, but the audience was completely enamored with her. If at all possible, they were more taken with her than normal. The cat calls appeared to be more prominent and frequent than usual. Quinn couldn't stop herself from joining in the whooping and hollering when she noticed that Santana and Brittany had.

_**Oh, oh.**_

_**Oh, oh.**_

**Night is young**  
><strong>And we all know what's up<strong>  
><strong>Beyond the setting sun<strong>  
><strong>The ocean calls us<strong>  
><strong>away from...<strong>  
><strong>(sample overlay)...<strong>

She was all over the place. This was Rachel's "I don't give a fuck so shove it" moment and Quinn didn't know if she liked it or feared it, but in the moment, she just wanted to unravel the way her friend on the stage was.

_**Don't you know? It's our dance-floor  
>Oh-oh<br>Oh-oh**_

She lifted her leg and violently kicked the microphone stand over to the side as not to make it fly off the stage.

**T.K.O. Hear it on the radio.**  
><strong>T.K.O. Play it on your stereo.<strong>  
><strong>T.K.O. Watch a live video.<strong>  
><strong>T.K.O.<strong>  
><strong>T.K.O-O<strong>  
><strong>T.K.O. Hear it on the radio.<strong>  
><strong>T.K.O. Play it on your stereo.<strong>  
><strong>T.K.O. Watch a live video.<strong>  
><strong>T.K.O.<strong>  
><strong>T.K.O-O<strong>

Rachel set the microphone on the stage, not even bothering to pick up the microphone stand and made her way off the platform. She didn't bother being remotely flirtatious, Quinn imagined that the girl was in far too much pain to bother with pretenses, though she did smile as she passed through the sea of clamoring women. It was a wonder she could do all that jumping around but Rachel Barbra Berry knew how to give a performance, regardless of the circumstances.

Quinn did her best to keep an eye on the disheveled looking girl as she moved throughout the building. Rachel had gone over to talk to Lorna, who was talking to her with all kinds of worry in her face. Rachel vehemently shook her head, causing her cousin to look at her with pleading dark brown eyes. She was struggling with something and Rachel was winning the power play.

Santana was watching with as much intensity as her friend, though Brittany was the one to break the silence between them. "I wonder what's going on over there."

"One way to find out," said Santana, taking hold of her girlfriend's hand and marching over to where the cousins stood. Quinn was quick to follow.

"Please, let me take you home," Lorna was nearly begging. "I don't need to be here and you shouldn't be."

"I'm leaving, but you need to stay, have some fun."

"I can't if you're going to be alone. Farah's not going to be able to get home for another few hours. She picked up an extra shift at the diner."

"We'll take her," Brittany volunteered.

Rachel turned to meet blue eyes. "Britt, I want you to have fun okay. I can get a ride from Antonio. He can drop me off before he and Dylan go to his place."

"But you need someone to stay with you," Brittany said with conviction.

"But I want you guys to stay and have fun," Rachel said back.

"It won't be any fun without you anyway."

"Britts gets what she wants," the Latina added. Quinn could see that the cheerleading captain was just as committed to the idea as her blonde counterpart, not that she was going to say so.

"You may as well just give in Rach," said Quinn. "You're not going to be able to deny her."

Rachel looked from Quinn to the tall blonde dancer. "Fine. But we're doing this slumber party style. I need to take a bath because I hurt like hell, and then I'm going to be in my pajamas and in my own bed. We'll hang out in my room."

"Yay! A slumber party," Brittany clapped, as if she hadn't slept over at Rachel's place every weekend for six weeks.

"Okay, then get outa here, will ya," Lorna said impatiently. "Uncle Hiram's going to flip his lid when he finds out about this and I'm not going to have to be the one to tell him that I let you pass out on top of everything."

"Fine," Rachel said defeated. "Just don't hang around worrying about me all night alright? Don't be all miserable."

"Can't help it, sweetie," said the black girl. "You're my favorite cousin." She smiled affectionately.

"And you're a worrier. Don't freak out, okay." Rachel looked at her cousin warily.

Lorna grinned and nodded her head, though there was no promise in her eyes. Rachel gave her a warm hug and they all said their goodbyes.

"She freaked out a little when she saw me this afternoon," Rachel said as they exited the building. The music was now blaring once more from the inside. "She doesn't like to upset people but she worries a lot. I bet she doesn't wait much more than an hour before she comes home anyway." The small brunette's voice was a little sad.

"Why didn't she just leave now then?" Brittany asked.

"She wanted to give me what I wanted. She's been spending time with this girl she's known for a few months, but she was dealing with Sharon so they've been stuck in the dreaded buddy zone. She treats her well and I want her to spend time with someone that deserves her, not some chick that only calls her up when she needs an itch scratched."

"Well to be fair, the itches in the middle of your back are really hard to reach," Brittany said seriously. "But that Sharon girl deserved to stay itchy."

"Damn right," Santana blustered as she unlocked the driver's seat door.

* * *

><p>Rachel groaned as she got comfortable on her bed. "Best bath I've ever had," she breathed heavily. "Please say you didn't drink all the Vodka while I was soaking in the tub. I could really use a drink right now."<p>

Her Latina friend smiled mischievously and pulled out a bottle of Smirnoff vodka from under the bed. "Nope. We made sure to wait just for you."

"Thank you," the small brunette said in relief, then cocked an eyebrow. "Mixers?"

"Cranberry cocktail and orange juice," Brittany smiled and pointed to the cartons on the desk that Rachel had apparently not noticed.

"Maybe you shouldn't drink," Quinn voiced. "Aren't you on pain pills or something."

Rachel slunk back in disappointment. "It's been like four hours. I should be okay, right," she asked hopefully.

"Sure if you don't plan on taking anymore," the punk girl replied.

Rachel grumbled and shifted in her spot. "Hand me that medicine bottle and a glass of orange juice please."

"Good girl," said Quinn.

"Yeah, yeah," the smaller girl rolled her eyes. Santana looked at her with an awkward pout of her own. "I'm not gonna keep you from drinking anything, Santana. "

"Thank god because I was going to anyway but Britts would have thought it was rude or something."

"Are you sure, Rach," the bubbly blonde asked seriously.

Rachel gave the tall girl a soft smile. "There's no reason we should all suffer for my stupidity, Britt. Go on sweetie." Rachel took and opened the proffered bottle and took out a pill then greedily downed it with her orange juice. "I hate that Lorna had to take a nose-dive off the back of Dakota's truck last year, but I do appreciate the vicodin she refused to take." They'd all heard the story about Lorna falling asleep in the bed of the truck when she was somewhat inebriated the year prior. She and Dylan had been staying at Dakota's old apartment at the time and she had wondered out to the truck at some point during the night. The next morning an unsuspecting Dakota decided to make a run to the store. Half way there, Lorna woke up and freaked out. She hadn't realized what was going on and rolled off the truck. They were at a stop light so she wasn't hurt severely but it was enough to warrant pain meds, not that she took more than a few of them.

"You weren't stupid," Quinn assured. "Cindy got what she deserved."

"I don't believe in violence unless it's necessary and I went against that. I shouldn't have done that and I shouldn't have said all that stuff to my friends." It hadn't even taken until Monday for the singer to start feeling guilty. A crazy song and a hot bath and Rachel was already regretting her actions.

"You weren't wrong," Quinn said with finality.

"You were way easier on her than she deserved. Even I wanted to smack the twit in the face," said Santana. "Speaking of, don't worry about that little incident. I already had some words with coach and she's taking care of it."

"What do you mean," Rachel asked in disbelief. "And why would that woman do anything to help me?"

Brittany cuddled up to her girlfriend on the edge of the bed. "Sanny and I went back to the school after we dropped Q off at home."

Quinn already heard the story so she just let her friends tell it. "Once she found out the circumstances," the Latina paused for a moment and looked into Rachel's chocolate eye, "well, let's just say she lost any sympathy for Holloman. She's letting her stay on the squad but Cindy managed to tell Figgins that some random Cheerleading rival from Carmel beat her up."

"But there were witnesses," Rachel questioned.

"She managed to remind Mr. Shue that he needs you, Q, B, and I to perform at sectionals. He conveniently forgot everything he saw. As for the rest of the gleeks, they decided to have your back for once."

"Even after I….I was so mean to them this afternoon," Rachel said looking over to Quinn.

"Can you honestly say you didn't mean it," Quinn asked.

"Well, no. I….I meant it, just not the way I said it. I was pretty harsh. Sam, Artie, Tina and Mike have always been pretty nice to me. Kurt and I were getting close, and while he began to spend more time with his boyfriend and Mercedes with hers, I never fully let them in or anything. Finn was my first real friend."

"You weren't harsh enough, Rach," said Quinn. She noticed the term of endearment but decided not to harp on it as she continued. "They all know it and so do we. Even the people who've always been nice to you have never bothered to get to know you further than the glee club diva and us, well….."

"Can we not do that?" Rachel interrupted. "I don't want to go over every single thing we've ever done to one another. None of us are innocent in that. Frankly, I'd rather people show that things have changed rather than make apologies. I'm not going to harp on that and I was out of line for doing that this afternoon. I was just pissed off."

"You had every right to be. She had no right to say that. Yeah, Coach made her tell us what went down before you lost it. She even told us how she found out," stated Santana.

"Her big mouthed sister will be lucky if you don't sue her ass for breaching the privacy act," Quinn began to get angry. "How dare she discuss your daddy's medical records with her family. Some nurse she is."

Rachel looked scandalized. "If I wasn't so afraid to add this to all the stuff my parents are already going through, I'd have her job."

None of them wanted to repeat what had happened to bring on Rachel's wrath.

_Rachel had been making her way to glee after getting off of a phone call (Later they would learn that Rachel had been on the phone with Lorna, who'd taken to calling to check up on her after school since the new memory issues with Leroy had been revealed.) when Cindy felt the need to mess with her in the empty hallway. Rachel had tried to ignore the girl, having heard all the insults many times before; she was hardly shaken by them. But then the words, "Don't ignore me, Berry. You can't afford to do that."_

"_The worst you can do is slushy me and I'm hardly a stranger to that. Do what you need to do and then get out of my way because I have better things to do than deal with the likes of you," Rachel replied flatly. _

"_Yeah right," Cindy taunted. "Like anyone's looking forward to spending time with you. Even the flamers that call themselves your fathers are dying to get you away from you." Rachel was going to let it go. It was simply a figure of speech right? But then the other girl just had to go on and say it. "Oh wait; it's just the one, right? He has to die just to get rid of you." _

_Rachel saw a fire that she'd never seen before. Her Body went to full on rage and every moral she had in that moment flew out the window and before she could process the situation, she was decking her in the eye, though Cindy managed to get a shot in on the tiny brunette's eye as well and began to claw at her shirt. Rachel found herself slamming the Cheerio into the nearest locker stating, "You picked the wrong thing to fuck with me about."_

"_I'm not afraid of you, Berry."_

"_You should be," Rachel hissed, dragging the senior cheerleader to the floor._

"_You're dead you little freak, you hear me," was threatened as a music room full of gleeks along with their instructor poured into the hallway._

"Apparently both the Holloman daughters are useless," Santana sneered. "Don't worry though. Me and Becks, we gots this. She agreed to make that girl suffer during practice."

"Becky agreed to that," Rachel asked skeptically.

"Oh don't let her fool you. That girl is conniving. She's with me 100%." Quinn had to admire that Santana didn't treat Becky differently than she treated others. She didn't sell the girl short, simply because she had Down's syndrome.

"I think I punished her enough," Rachel said, though Quinn could see she was forcing it.

"You may have, but I haven't. She has yet to make it up to me for falling out of line. I gave the girl a direct order and she defied me. She has to suffer the consequences," the Cheerio's co-captain said as innocently as she was capable.

"Well, I suppose I can't tell you how to handle your team."

"That's right," Santana winked as a knock on the bedroom door commenced.

"Come in," Rachel sing-songed.

Lorna poked her head in the door. "Hey, I'm hanging with Erin in my room, just so you know where to find me."

"Alright," Rachel grinned. "Don't be good."

"Ha, ha," the black woman mocked. "Have fun ladies."

"Probably not as much as you," the small girl retorted.

"Not going to happen," Lorna shot back, closing the door before getting a response. The remaining girls laughed.

Rachel's cell phone rang for the eighth time since she'd gotten home. The Brunette had only answered for Puck, but she was actively ignoring the other glee kids. She didn't feel like getting into thing with any of them. "Quinn passed the girls phone over to her from the night stand. "Mike," she said in nearly a whisper. "I didn't even think he knew my number. I only have his because I high jacked it from the glee club phone list."

"You gonna answer it or keep letting it ring?" Quinn asked in brief annoyance at having to hear the phone ring repeatedly.

"I'll just turn it off. Anyone of importance that needs to talk to me knows to get in touch with Lorna." They all knew what she meant if her dads couldn't reach her directly, they knew how to get a hold of her one way or another. She quickly shut off her phone and handed it back to her pink-haired friend to return it to its intended spot.

"So, hows about we play a little game," Santana proposed, cutting the tension. "Since we're doing this like a normal sleep over."

"What kind of game, Lopez," Rachel eyed the Latina suspiciously.

"Never have I ever."

"I'm not drinking, remember?"

"You can like…..take shots of juice or something."

"I love that game," Brittany said in excitement. "We get sauced really fast."

"Accept for our chastity queen here," Santana nudged at Quinn.

"Screw you, San," Quinn bit out.

"I bet you wish you could," the cheerleading co-captain said with a smirk.

"Can we play," Brittany smiled.

"Okay, Britt. We can play," Quinn said after looking over and getting conformation from Rachel. "You start."

Santana was already thrusting shot glasses into the other three girls' hands.

"Never have I ever had sex when I was drunk," Brittany beamed. They all took a shot of vodka, except for Rachel who'd opted for cranberry juice.

"Figures the one time you put out you were under the influence, Q."

"Whatever," Quinn lamely retorted. "My turn. Never have I ever agreed to share the person I was dating with someone else." She glared at Santana, who only chuckled and sucked down a shot of the clear liquid, as did Brittany.

They all looked to Rachel knowingly. "What?" She looked back offended. "To quote Santana, 'Sex isn't dating.' I'm not dating anyone I'm having sex."

"I always pictured you as a sex with feelings kind of girl," Santana said genuinely.

"I got over that right around the time Finn punched Jesse," Rachel tried to joke. "Besides I feel plenty for Farah and Dakota, just not what they feel for each other. I mean I love them and vice versa, but I'm not in love or anything. They just make me feel good. I think I provide a similar service for them."

"You know, B and I can make you feel plenty good," Santana husked.

"San's really good at that," Brittany said seriously.

"Oh my god enough," Quinn spoke up. "Why do I have to be friends with nymphomaniacs," she asked rhetorically.

Brittany may not have been privy to big words but that was one she knew well. "Because you love us," she answered. "San's turn."

"Never have I ever kissed a guy and a girl on the same day."

Everyone but Rachel reached for the bottle, though she did gasp when Quinn grabbed hold of the bottle once her two other friends had poured their own shots and mimicked their actions.

"A real kiss, Q," Santana said in disbelief.

"That guy I was seeing this summer," she said smoothly. "Then Mac, a few hours later….don't ask."

Rachel was still having trouble forming words at the revelation but Santana was finding her voice just fine. "And no gay panic?"

"It was just a kiss," she stressed. "Nothing serious. And what if it was? We're like in lesbian central these days."

"I told you, S," Brittany jumped in self satisfactory. "Quinn's a pressed Lebanese."

"Wait a minute now," Quinn quickly spoke up. "It was nice and all but it wasn't anything spectacular."

"What, no fireworks," Rachel asked with what Quinn thought was the smallest amount of venom.

"Trust me when I say that fireworks don't constitute a great kiss or even real feelings. It just means you're excited about it." She knew it was a dig at her and Finn and she felt a need to clear it up. "And no, it was good but it wasn't anything worth gushing over."

"Fine, I guess you've been kissing the wrong people," the little brunette said curtly. "Never have I ever had sex with someone I was in love with." Brittany and Santana smiled at one another and went to poor their shots.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed. Fayberry is making their way. Reviews send me over the rainbow in more ways<strong>** than one.**


	7. The Way I See You

**Title:** When Secrets Come Out to Play

**Chapter 7/?** : The Way I See You

**Fandom:** Glee  
><strong>Pairings: <strong>Rachel Berry /Quinn Fabray Side Brittany/ Santana Rachel/Others minor Quinn/OC  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 for sexual themes and eventual smutt.  
><strong>Word Length<strong>: 2000+ per chapter.  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Quinn puts her quest to find herself on hold in order to figure out the suddenly more mysterious Rachel Berry. She soon finds that there is more to the little brunette than she ever thought possible. Perhaps she'll even figure herself out on the way. Punk!Quinn Semi-Baddass!Rachel.

**Spoilers: **All aired episodes, only a few things from season three as it's AU for the most part. **NO LUCY CABOOSY!**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "Glee" because if I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction because I would have kicked all the subtext and had Faberry be lezzing it up on screen by now. Plus Pezberry and Brittberry would be closer friends at the very least. I do own a few of the OC's, though I stole Dylan's likeness and crazy ass mind from my bestie.

**Thanks to t8kmybreathaway/LadyHawke69 for doing wonderful beta work. I revised a little after she worked on this chapter so you will see more mistakes than normal. Sorry about that I didn't want to post too late so that's all on me. **

**I love you all for putting this story on alerts and favorites. For all that take time to review, you make a girl feel special in all kinds of ways.**

Monday morning was different to say the least. Rachel might have been off the hook for her foray into the fight club world, but that didn't stop the masses of McKinley from talking. For the first time since the first week of school freshman year, nobody so much as looked at her with malice. Unfortunately some people looked at her with pity and Quinn could see that Rachel was struggling not to lose it again.

Many people looked at her with suspicion and even fear, to which Quinn could only snicker under her breath. She found it comical that just a few days prior, she'd been considered one of the easiest targets at that school because she never fought back, though now she was toeing the line between being 'the poor girl who was going through so much,' and 'the girl that would try to rip your face off if you looked at her funny'. For someone that craved attention, the little brunette sure seemed uncomfortable with all that she was receiving.

Rachel had only really spoken with Quinn, Santana, Brittany, and mostly Puck, who the pink-haired girl figured was getting information from the little singer that he hadn't had before. The two had been huddled together all through lunch. The only reason her annoyance had been quashed was that Quinn was able to tell herself that Puck had lunch but she and Rachel had their free periods together for the most part.

* * *

><p>"So how has your day been so far?"<p>

Rachel looked up over to her, obviously suppressing an eye roll. "It's been a cross between awkward and pure annoyance. I almost wish I could take a slushy to the face so everything could go back to normal."

"I could head over to the 7-11 now, if you'd like," the former blonde chuckled. "Won't take but about ten minutes."

Rachel laughed. "I said almost Miss Fabray."

"Just trying to put a smile on that pretty face of yours," she playfully joked, though when she realized what it was she said she stiffened in her seat and tried to change the topic. "So I was thinking," she began again.

"You do that a lot," Rachel smiled softly. The ex-cheerio looked at the singer with a little panic, trying to figure out what exactly it was she was being called out on. "You know, think? I prefer that in the people I associate with."

Once she'd understood that her little comment had gone undetected she returned with, "Yet you associated yourself with Finn and Puck."

"Hey," Rachel said a little defensively, "Finn, he just needs to grow up a little bit more. He isn't a bad guy he just needs time to blossom I guess." Quinn looked at her with skepticism in her eyes. "Well, Lorna said something like that."

Quinn giggled a little, "Figures, she _would_ give him the benefit of the doubt. I can tell she doesn't like him so why does she pretend like there is more to him than that?"

"She tends to play devil's advocate a lot. She has the nerve to have a level head during those times I want to be anything but sane." Rachel all out laughed, but quickly went back to serious. "Noah, he makes choices that suck sometimes and he's been known not to think things through at times, but he's a good guy. I get why you have issues with him, you have every right but he's really tried to be there for me, even when I'm secretive."

"I get it," Quinn said sharply. "So he's you're knight in shining armor, huh? You into boys again?"

"I am and always have been into both sexes, though I find myself more attracted to the fairer sex these days," Rachel said calmly. "And no, I don't need a damn knight to save me. I've found that the princesses do a hell of a lot more for me. Plus I can save myself!"

"What's with you two anyway? I understand that you two have this Jew unity going on, but really? How is it that you were okay with him following you after the fight, yet you couldn't give me a few minutes of you precious time?"

"Noah and I have a history, okay. We were really good friends until middle school….. before he had to choose between being popular and slumming it with me." The punk girl eyed her incredulously. "You don't have the right to judge him. He was twelve and it isn't like you didn't make your choices back then, is it?" Quinn felt her gut churn at the bluntness of the statement. "I'm not judging you either but don't pretend like you're any better than him for that. We may not have hung out a lot in school but after we dated for that split second, we got a little closer again. He cares about me."

Quinn supposed she couldn't fault the other girl for having support from someone she went to school with. Her own presents in Rachel's life were fairly recent and that had only come about out of curiosity in the beginning, only now it was so much more than that. "I just didn't realize you two were that close."

"Well we are." Quinn could see the fire in Rachel's eyes dissipating as remorse began to fill them. "Look, I didn't mean to snap. I just don't like people discussing things they know nothing about." Her voice lightened up enough to say, "So you said you were thinking. What were you thinking about?"

The girl with the pink hair knew better than to refuse the life line she'd been handed so she quickly grabbed onto it. "I was thinking that you guys always do all the cooking on Sundays. I figure I should start earning my keep. Maybe I could cook something for brunch too." Rachel snorted. "What's so funny?" Quinn raised her brow.

"I was just imagining you in your Cupcake Cult t-shirt and ripped jeans with your pink mop all wiled standing over a hot stove. Only you're wearing high heels and a matching pearl necklace and earing set like some punk version of June Cleaver. "

"I've been a housewife in training my whole life, Rach. Pink hair or no, I can make a few edible dishes," Quinn chided.

"I didn't say you couldn't," Rachel laughed. "I just thought the image would be comical."

"I'll show you comical," Quinn joked, lunging to tickle the little brunette. Rachel jumped up and tried to make a quick escape but the former cheerleader was quick to grab hold of her, slipping her fingers around the other girl's torso, meeting with a small slit of exposed skin from where Rachel's sweater had ridden up in her struggle.

"Okay, okay you win," the singer shrieked with laughter. "I look forward to your super chef skills."

"That's what I thought," Quinn said stilling her fingers and savoring the feel of soft flesh under her fingertips.

"I'm going to hug you if that's okay," Rachel smiled up at her with an actual real smile. Quinn couldn't help but feel warm all over regardless of the fact that she could see the breath escaping Rachel's lips as well as her own.

"O…okay," the taller of the two sputtered. Rachel slipped her arms around her in a way she hadn't before. They'd shared half ass hugs in the past. They always left her feeling something more that she was prepared to think about but this, well she managed to understand what Brittany meant by the whole 'cuddly bug hug' thing. It was real and it felt good. It felt so good that she melted right into it, allowing herself to take in the scent of vanilla and jasmine lingering in the dark locks.

"Thank you, Quinn," Rachel breathed. "I really needed that."

"No problem," Quinn returned, just having barely heard the words, "any time." Rachel slowly broke the hug while Quinn reluctantly allowed her to pull away.

"The same goes to you, you know." Rachel looked Quinn dead in her hazel eyes. "You were very sad when we came back after summer. You seem happier now, but you still look sad sometimes. You've actually always looked a little sad," Rachel observed.

They stood looking at each other in silence, Quinn absorbing Rachel's statement. She had no doubt that the Jewish girl meant what she'd said. The pools of chocolate staring back at her conveyed as much, to the point that it was almost overwhelming, even stifling. She wanted to stay like this, she honestly did but this was taking her to a place that she wasn't ready for. "I um, well I..…. I…I'm not ready," Quinn admitted. "Thanks though, I uh…think I want to get some library time in before glee."

"Alright," Rachel sounded disappointed, though it was evident that she was making a genuine effort not to. "I think I want to head to the auditorium and run through some scales or something anyway."

Quinn nodded and the two of them walked back to the school entrance together then parted ways at the door.

* * *

><p>Quinn walked into the room a few minutes early, having received a text from Mercedes earlier on in the day requesting she try to make it early and not to tell Rachel. Mr. Shuester had apparently had all of their teachers let them out ten minutes before the bell but because Quinn had no class she was expected to just show up. It appeared that other than Rachel, she had been the last to show, even behind Mr. Shue of all people.<p>

"Guys what's going on," Quinn asked her teammates who were all speaking conspiratorially over one another.

"We're trying to figure out a song to sing to Rachel," Sam was the first to address her.

"We've fallen down on the job," Mr. Shuester explained. "We need to show her that we are united." Quinn was suspicious of the man's motives. It wasn't that Mr. Shue was a bad guy, but he was never overly worried about Rachel's feelings, though under the circumstances he was probably really trying to make her feel a little better.

Kurt looked at Quinn as if he had been betrayed. She had called him under false pretenses not too long ago and she imagined he'd worked that out in his head by now. "Well it appears that most of us haven't been clued in on our little diva's current strife, while others of us seem to have known."

"Look, I wasn't the only one," Quinn defended. "It wasn't my place to tell you her business."

"But you called me acting like you needed answers and you had more than I did," Kurt glared.

"Fine, Okay," She began. "I wanted to know what you knew and see if you knew any more than I did. Can we be done with this now?" At this point in the room everyone was looking from the punk girl to the falsetto as if they were playing a tennis match.

"Yeah, back off of Quinn." This was Puck, and suddenly she understood what Kurt was feeling. She knew she didn't have the right to resent Puck for the friendship he had with the little singer, or the fact that he'd known things about her that Quinn didn't for so long, but she did and that couldn't be helped.

"Really, Hummel," Santana barked from her seat next to Brittany. "It's not Q's fault you didn't know what was going on with your friend. You don't see me bitching and moaning because I didn't know."

"As if it wasn't crazy enough that Quinn's been kicking it with Rachel, the fact that it looks like you have too, that just screams the end of times," Artie said curiously to Santana.

"Yeah, I'd kind of like to know about that too," Finn broke in.

"Mind your own business, gigantor," the Latina shot back at the lumbering jock.

Quinn decided to get the focus back to why they'd all been summoned to glee a few minutes early seeing as how her instructor had yet to take control of his pupils. "What's this about a song?"

"I've been trying to tell them this is a bad idea," Puck answered. "She won't like it."

Quinn knew he was right. Rachel wasn't going to be up for some empathetic song from her fellow glee-mates when it came to this matter. She knew that both Finn and Kurt had lost a parent but it didn't mean that they knew her pain. Everyone feels these things in different ways and Rachel wasn't going to appreciate having a bunch of people who rarely, if ever, tried to be a support system for her in the past. "He's right. That's a terrible idea."

"Rachel loves to be sung to," Finn tried to correct. "I'm telling you this will be a great thing."

"I agree with Finn," Mr. Shue finally broke in.

'_Surprise, surprise,' _Quinn thought, though she said, "No, really it won't. She may pretend like she does but she'll hate it. She'll just see it for what it is, a pity song."

"That isn't what this is," the teacher interjected.

"Doesn't matter," Puck again spoke up. "That's how she'll see it and it will just upset her more."

"Dude," Finn looked at Puck with anger. "You said you wouldn't ever go after her again."

"I didn't," Puck speedily replied. "She's just my buddy, my bro. We talk about stuff."

"Why you and no….." Finn was cut off when the door opened and the brunette songstress shuffled through the door. Everyone went silent as she walked passed Quinn in search of a seat, yet doubled back.

"I just want to apologies for my behavior on Friday," she started. First she looked up at Mr. Shue. "You are my teacher and I should not have spoken to you in that manner." Her voice was smaller than Quinn cared to hear it. It was smaller than the moment she'd told the former blonde that she knew her daddy probably wouldn't make it and it made Quinn feel all kinds of sick, especially since she didn't really believe that Schue deserved a damn apology considering he was never that supportive of her in the past.

"I accept your apology, Rachel," the teacher said with a nervous smile. "I hope that we can avoid moments like that in the future."

"I'm sure we can," she said looking to the ground before looking over to the group. "I was angry and I took out my frustration on you. Mike, Tina, Artie, and Sam," She looked to each person she spoke . "You have never treated me badly and I shouldn't have been so mean to you." Then she looked at Mercedes and Kurt. "The two of you are my fellow divas and we're friends. I pulled away just as much if not more than you did so it isn't okay that I pretend that we weren't in a good place." Kurt stood and motioned for his black friend to do the same. They hugged went and hugged her tight. When they released her she looked over at Finn and said, "I'm sorry I yelled at you in front of everyone."

"We're good," he responded with a goofy grin that Quinn couldn't stand to continue looking at. She turned her back before he went to hug her himself.

Quinn may or may not have had to hold back a sigh. She appreciated the sentiment of it all, but Rachel gave out forgiveness as if they were coupons or something. She didn't make people work for it and at times the pink-haired girl even wished Rachel had made Santana, Brittany, and even herself jump through a few higher hoops. Quinn had barely been able to forgive Rachel for going after her boyfriend both times, yet Rachel pretended like their sorted past even pre-Finn was nothing more than a mild inconvenience most days. Sure it hurt when the smaller girl _did_ remind her, but at least she was being honest and standing up for herself. Now she was saying sorry for doing what she should have been doing for all of this time and it didn't sit quite well with Quinn, whether or not that made her a hypocrite, she didn't know.

* * *

><p>It was after glee when things got really interesting. The groups of students were exiting the building when they heard, "Hey Ray!" They all looked toward the familiar voice. Brittney squealed and ran over to the motorcycle and Santana quickly followed.<p>

"What are you guys doing here," Rachel inquired happily, yet confused as she made her way over to Farah, who was parked next to Dakota's truck with both the owner and Dylan leaning up against the vehicle.

"Thought you could use some fun," Farah smirked as Quinn approached the group of women.

"Yeah, maybe we can go hit that restaurant you're into," Dakota smiled brightly.

"You mean New-Eden, the one that you're into as well because it's vegan?" Rachel said with a little silliness in her voice. She really was at her most comfortable around these women.

"Wow, you have my number," Dakota laughed and went to put her arm around Rachel's waist. As the high school kids gaped at the strangers that seemed so familiar with their glee club co-captain.

"All ten digits," Dylan chuckled. "So what do you say? I won't even complain about having to eat the rabbit food."

"I don't know if I'm up for it," Rachel said tentatively, though Quinn could tell that she was bursting to go.

"Can we go," Brittany bubbled, now looking expectantly at the small singer. "Do they have the vegan milkshakes you make?"

"Sure, Britt, we can go. Not the ones I make but they have really good ones," Rachel responded.

Santana looked at Rachel gratefully and said, "They better make that hummus dip you make." Santana had refused to eat vegan on principle, whatever they were, but she had a weakness for Rachel's hummus and a few of the girl's desserts regardless. Rachel was currently trying to get her to try some of the food she and Dakota made for Sunday brunch.

"They do," Dakota assured. Quinn looked at Dakota's arm snaked around Rachel's waist and pushed down the irritation bubbling up in her stomach.

"Hey, pretty mama," Puck said slinking over to Dylan's side. "Never seen you around." He glimpsed to Rachel.

"Oh, Noah Puckerman," She pointed to him and then the rest of the group as she said their names. "Mike, Tina, Mercedes, Sam, Kurt, Finn, and Artie. Glee, these are my good friends Dylan, Farah, and Dakota." A slew of acknowledgments were heard among the group.

"Where's Lorna," Quinn asked.

"She's in a class right now," Dylan spoke up.

"Well it is great to meet you," Puck wiggled his eyebrows. "I go by Puck, Rach is the only one around here that really calls me Noah."

"Down boy," Rachel chided and the Jewish boy backed off, now looking at the girl on the bike.

"Your bike is bangin'."

"You have no idea," Rachel giggled.

Farah stroked the side of her pride and joy, "2006 Victory Kingpin," she grinned. "Yeah that's right, be jealous." Rachel, Santana, Dakota, Dylan, and even Quinn laughed at the comment. "It was a guilt gift from daddy when I graduated." She played it off as a joke but Quinn knew better. She saw it in Farah's eyes every time she told a joke about her strained relationship with her parents. It still hurt and Quinn knew that pain but while she chose to take out her anger on others or just completely close herself off, Farah told jokes.

"Thank you, daddy," Puck stated as he continued to admire the bike. "Beautiful."

"That she is," Farah grinned. "Janice here has been quite good to me."

"Janice?" Mike raised a brow as he took in the unfamiliar scene.

"As in Joplin," answered the biker.

"That's badass," Puckerman looked truly impressed.

"Now is there any other way," she returned. "She's a smooth ride and she hardly ever disappoints. Just ask Ray. She's been on the back of my baby quite a few times, haven't you Ray?"

"Rides like a dream," the girl with the chestnut hair answered with sarcasm.

"From what I hear, so do you," Dylan cracked but Dakota's glare backed the blonde community college student down a little. "Am I lying?" If Quinn didn't know better, she'd believe that Dylan loved rubbing it in that Rachel was a much wanted woman.

"D," Dakota hissed, arm still around Rachel's waist, who was now blushing.

"Fine, I was just joking around. I can't help it if she's top shelf quality."

In that moment Quinn could see what the girls of the Berry house meant when they said Lorna and Dylan had a relationship that nobody would ever truly understand. They didn't have any romantic interaction besides the innuendo but they could get things out of one another that nobody else could. Had it been Lorna to reprimand her friend she would have immediately fallen in line, because she worried about disappointing Lorna the most.

It didn't help that Santana walked up to her and high fived her, while Farah said, "Totally Grey Goose worthy." The looks from the unsuspecting glee club ranged from surprised to incredulous.

"I've been trying to tell her that forever," Puck cut in with a cheeky grin.

Dakota kissed the side of Rachel's head, who didn't seem upset so much as embarrassed considering preset company.

"What on earth is going on," Kurt finally asked.

"Yeah I mean what else is it that we've missed," asked Tina.

"That's a loaded question," Santana snarked with some mirth lacing the comment, though she didn't offer up any answered.

"San, give me a call later. We have things to discuss," Dylan slipped in somewhat quietly but Quinn still managed to hear.

Farah laughed as if she knew something was afoot and Dakota said, "Do you two need a chaperone?"

"Or maybe two," Quinn slipped in.

"Please, only Lor and Britt can keep that mess under control," said the small songstress as she motioned to the Latina and the transgendered girl.

"Why do you people act like I need a babysitter?" Dylan had started to pout.

Farah laughed and said, "Because you usually do."

"Hey guys, I want to go back to the house before we grab dinner," Rachel spoke. "I don't want to wear this if we're going out." She displayed the plaid skirt and blue sweater.

"I was hoping you'd say that," Dylan smirked.

"In that case, you know the drill, babe," Farah said slyly. "You're riding, bitch." Quinn didn't even suppress her eye roll. She'd heard that line before and she was even less impressed by it the second time.

To Rachel's credit, she didn't indulge in the banter. "I have my car," Rachel playfully swatted out toward the biker. "I think I need to have a few words with my team in private so why don't you head on back and Britt, San, Quinn and I can meet back up with you in like half an hour and we can head to dinner at like five thirty?"

Farah looked at her little lover and snorted in response. "That means Dakota gets to be my bitch."

"No matter how hard you try, I'll never be the bitch here," Dakota smirked in a silly tone Quinn rarely heard out of the twenty-one year old. "I always work the top."

"Just get on," Farah drawled, having been shut down by her girl.

"Say please," she mocked her girlfriend.

"Please get your sweet ass on this bike so we can get out of here already." Quinn openly laughed at Farah's response.

"Watch yourself lady." The DJ/tattoo artist slipped her arm from Rachel's body and pecked the girl on the lips before going to the truck to retrieve a helmet.

"See you soon ladies," Dylan acknowledged as she hopped into the truck, not bothering to acknowledge the other people in her midst.

"Bye kiddies," Farah giggled and Dakota gave a little wave as she got comfortable on the back of the bike.

Various farewells were given and soon they were gone and the parking lot was left with two giggling cheerleaders an unsure Noah Puckerman and seven confused gleeks.

"Okay girl, I am more confused than ever. It's like we don't even know you," Mercedes said from her stance next to Kurt.

"You don't," Brittany said plainly. Quinn almost envied the blonde dancer for being able to be so blunt without sounding mean. She herself would have said the words with venom. "Not really, but we didn't for a long time either."

"And now you do?" Kurt squinted.

"I guess," Brittany simply stated.

"Oh quit acting like it's such a big thing. Berry's cool people, we found out and now we hang out, end of story," Santana spat.

"And when she wants you to know, then you will," Quinn added, now placing her hand on Rachel's lower back. She could see that the girl was stifling some annoyance by the way she clenched up.

"But it's hot, Rach. I knew you had it in you," Puck winked.

"So you're hooking up with girls now?" Finn had finally found it in him to speak up. "Or do you go around kissing friends these days?"

"That was pretty tame compared to some of the Berrylicious kisses Britts and I got," the Latina said cheekily.

"What?" Finn, Kurt and Mercedes all said at once.

"Hotness," Puck leered at Santana and Brittany.

"For the love of all things holy, shut up, San," Quinn spit out. She was so over this. Okay, so Rachel was pretty, maybe even beautiful. Perhaps Quinn even thought about how much she wanted in on what seemed like everyone else got to have but her. It was possible that her body reacted to Rachel in a way she didn't completely understand, but she didn't want to be constantly reminded about the other girl's various dalliances.

"Hey, come on," Rachel tried to reign in the situation. "Who I kiss is hardly your concern Finn, It isn't anyone's concern."

"You can't like girls, Rach," Finn pleaded. "There's no way."

Rachel was getting angry and it was getting harder to draw back at this point. Quinn figured that the other glee kids were smart enough to back off after seeing what a pissed off Rachel was capable of but Finn was never that great at doing the smart thing.

"Really," she said maniacally. "Because I have a list of girls and their phone numbers that say otherwise."

"We dated Rachel," he said.

'What's with this guy and using that statement to explain all the world's problems?' the hazel-orbed girl wondered.

"I'm hardly the first girl to date boys and also find women to be attractive."

"She has a point," Kurt said shakily.

"Case and point," Artie said good-naturedly pointing to his ex-girlfriend and her current girlfriend.

"Damn right," Santana barked out a laugh.

Finn shrugged off their words. "Are you trying to hurt me?"

This aggravated the former blonde in spades. "Come off it already, Hudson," she said, her hand still resting soundly on Rachel's back. Rachel may not have been perfect but she rarely did things to intentionally hurt others, recent events and the Sunshine incident notwithstanding. The fact that Finn believed her friend would go out of her way just to upset him was bull. From the looks on the rest of New Direction's faces she could see that they were taken aback by the implication, though it hadn't been the first time the football player had accused her of such things.

"My god," Santana snapped. "Your puffy pyramid nipple ass had nothing to do with anything here. Believe it or not, everything shorty does in life does not revolve around you!" They all took in Finn's slightly angered expression. "I know, it shocked the hell out of me too but I got over it," she finished sardonically.

"No San, he's right," Rachel said coolly, causing Quinn along with everyone else to take in a baited breath. "I lay awake each night and say to myself, 'what can I do to make Finn Hudson's life miserable? Oh yes, I can screw around with random women and make out with a couple of Cheerios for a while. I wonder how far I have to go the see that kicked puppy look on his face.'"

Even in their shock, none of them could hold back, they all burst into laughter, except of course Finn, who was sporting said kicked puppy look quite well. It didn't take long before he was stomping off to his car, Kurt in tow as Finn was his ride home.

"Rach, I'll be calling you," Kurt hollered over his shoulder in a huff, probably because he was missing out on an explanation.

"Talk to you later," the little singer hollered back. "Well, as fun as this is," she readdressed the remainder of her club, "I don't much feel like continuing this conversation anymore. Perhaps tomorrow would be a more adequate time for this." She looked to the Cheerios and then to the girl by her side, "Let's get out of here please."

"Yeah, my tummy's all rumbly," Brittany agreed.

Santana smiled up at her girlfriend and linked their pinkies. "To Berry's we go. Later losers," she jested as the couple approached her car.

"See you tomorrow," Rachel said overly happy. Quinn kept her hand on Rachel's back the whole trek to her car. She didn't love the idea of admitting it, but that touch, it was fulfilling a craving. She wanted to have it, even if it was something as innocent as comfort. When she had to pull away to place herself in the passenger's seat, her limbs seemed to grow cold all over again. Like it or not, she had things to think about. Now if only she could force herself to do it.

* * *

><p><strong>So this was kind of filler but it was for foreshadowing purposes. I'm not so much focusing on the Glee club in this story but they are around and I needed to acknowledge that a little so I wanted them to see that there is far more to the little diva than they knew. Be prepared for a very eventful chapter to come, lots of good stuff happening there, or at least I think so. <strong>


	8. Hard Truth Soldiers

**Title:** When Secrets Come Out to Play

**Chapter 8/?** : Hard Truth Soldiers

**Fandom:** Glee  
><strong>Pairings: <strong>Rachel Berry /Quinn Fabray Side Brittany/ Santana Rachel/Others minor Quinn/OC  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 for sexual themes and eventual smutt.  
><strong>Word Length<strong>: 2000+ per chapter.  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Quinn puts her quest to find herself on hold in order to figure out the suddenly more mysterious Rachel Berry. She soon finds that there is more to the little brunette than she ever thought possible. Perhaps she'll even figure herself out on the way. Punk!Quinn Semi-Baddass!Rachel.

**Spoilers: **All aired episodes, only a few things from season three as it's AU for the most part. **NO LUCY CABOOSY!**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "Glee" because if I did, well, Quinn would be having her way with Rachel right now, rather than having been hit by a truck on the way to a wedding that shouldn't have been going on in the first place. I cannot claim the name "Club Diva" either. I looked it up online so it did exist at one point, though I couldn't tell you if it still does. I do own a few of the OC's, including the chick based on me, though Dylan has a crazy mind of her own.

**I love you all so much for the reviews, faves, and alerts. Can't help but feel all giddy inside.**

**Thanks to t8kmybreathaway/LadyHawke69 for doing wonderful beta work.**

The week had gone by with a lot questions from their fellow teammates. Quinn, Brittany, and Santana had all refused to spread Rachel's business and let the brunette divulge her personal life as she saw fit. She had glossed over the happenings with her fathers and mentioned that her cousin and some good friends were staying with her as a form of comfort and company. She didn't confirm or deny her relationship to Dakota, either way. Farah had surprisingly been less flirtatious with Rachel that day in the parking lot, yet surprisingly her girlfriend had taken up some of the slack. Nothing huge, just some minor touching and a chaste kiss or two, but it was enough to spark questions.

By Friday, the girls were very much looking forward to a good time and a familiar weekend. The gleeks knew the four girls were hanging out these days, but only Puck was informed of the party scene they were involved in. Rachel wasn't ready for the whole club to encroach on that part of her world, she wanted to keep that to the people who already knew, though she felt she kind of owed Noah that much. Quinn didn't feel that same thought process where Puck was concerned, but it was her brunette friend's decision and she respected it.

Quinn had taken to watching the Cheerios practice. It wasn't out of longing to get back what she'd lost or get things back to the way they had been when she was kicked off during her pregnancy. This was out of a whole other kind of longing.

Cindy had refused to apologize to Rachel, and even though Sue exercised her evil powers to help Rachel out, she wasn't going to force a Cheerio to apologize to a glee kid. So Santana and Becky were being extra hard on the waste of space that was Cindy Holloman, while coach Sylvester simply looked on with the faintest hint of amusement in her eyes.

Unfortunately to her credit, Cindy was taking everything they threw at her with a certain amount of smug grace. The girl was in shape and rose to the occasion whenever one of her captains tried to knock her down a peg. It was aggravating as hell to Santana and Quinn that the girl just kept right on meeting each challenge, however, when she occasionally faltered, it was almost worth seeing her smugness. Therefore, yes, Quinn watched the Cheerios practice, very much longing for the moment Cindy Holloman would break.

Meanwhile Jacob Ben Israel had replaced his obsession with Rachel and began mooning over Cindy, which wasn't exactly shocking, just creepy. Though when he had taken to blogging about how she should be head Cheerio seeing as how she was quote 'the only Cheerio going above and beyond the extreme' during practices. Santana was about ready to spit nails. These accusations began to become more frequent and to say the Latina was livid would have been a major understatement.

* * *

><p>Knowing what he now knew, Puck couldn't stay away from the warehouse party. They had all warned him that it was doubtful that any woman there would give him any time of day as it was a predominately lesbian crowd. Puck being Puck only saw it as a challenge. Rachel rode with him, though when he got there he slung his arm over Quinn and decided they were unofficially there together, that is unless he got some play from some slightly buzzed bi-curios college girl. Quinn groaned but went along with it anyway. She'd been eyed by girls in the past, though she was usually just stand offish to rebuff anyone's advances. Puck could further help keep the females at bay if she needed it.<p>

Dylan strolled up to the group consisting of Quinn, Santana, Brittany, and Puck. She was wearing her charm anklets just above her five inch purple stilettos and her favorite pare of denim hip huggers showed of her round bottom. Her purple V-neck top displayed her bare arms quite nicely.

Quinn, Santana, and Brittany watched on as Puck gawked at the older blonde, whose makeup around the eyes was reminiscent of an Egyptian Queen's. Her earlobes dawned four piercings; the top three sporting small dangly earrings, while the bottom wore hoops with butterfly's suspended in the open space. She had gone all out on this night and Quinn could only look on in awe, she'd never know that this beauty was born differently than her, had she not heard it from the woman herself.

"You're all looking mighty fine tonight," Dylan smiled wide and they all uttered their thank yous and returned the compliment.

"You're looking pretty fine yourself," Puck wiggled his eyebrows leaning into her while holding a beer in in his left hand. Dylan rolled her eye, and pressed her lips into a tight line. "Aww, don't be like that," the boy said slyly.

"I have a boyfriend, Mohawk," Dylan returned.

Puck showed off a lazy grin. "I can keep a secret."

"Well, I can't," Dylan laughed. "Which is why I'm going to tell you that you can't handle all of this," she turned her body slowly as if she were on a show room floor.

"I can handle more than you know."

"Does that include a penis because I'm working the same thing you are?" Dylan looked down between her legs and Quinn could swear that she saw the exact moment realization hit Puck. It was about two seconds after Santana began to bust out into a gut wrenching fit of giggles. Brittany just smiled. Dylan had revealed that part of herself to the Cheerios soon after she did so to Quinn. The transgendered girl had been spending a lot more time around the Latin cheerleader and up until a few hours prior, it worried Quinn quite bit as to what they could be up to.

"What the…dude I'm not gay," Puck defended.

"Never said you were," Dylan replied. "Just thought you should know before you really embarrassed yourself."

Quinn cleared her throat, "It's really no big deal, Puck. But now that you know, you can move on about your business."

"So you're a guy?" Dylan cringed.

"Insensitive much," Quinn drawled.

"No it's all good," Dylan cut in. "I'm a girl; I just don't have the parts to match."

Puck nodded, though the pink-haired girl could tell that he didn't really understand, though he was trying not to be a douche bag about it.

Dakota's voice began to husk lowly through the speaker system, indicating what all of the regulars knew was to come. "Another week and another night of booze and ladies." Brittany began to bounce from excitement and her girlfriend slipped her arms around her from anticipation. Quinn glanced at Puck who had on a curious look and then she pinned her eyes to the stage. "And we can never forget it's another night of Rach-B blowing it out of the water. This one makes my knees go weak so ladies," Dakota playfully warned, "If you have a partner you had better snatch them up, and if you don't, I can't be held responsible for any sexual frustration, though it won't be a problem for me." She chuckled as she let the music begin to play. A round of cheers could be heard around the building as Dylan left the small group of friends, probably in search of her boyfriend.

Rachel made her way up to the stage all the while moving her body to the beat. Once she was center stage, dressed in the very red dress they'd picked out together before all the shit at McKinley went down, her lips parted and began to sing.

_**Never know how much I love you  
>Never know how much I care<br>When you put your arms around me  
>I give you fever that's so hard to bare<br>**_

Each word was like velvet draping her body piece by piece; enveloping Quinn in warmth. She was comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time, but she liked it and she wasn't sure why she wasn't more disturbed by it.

_**You give me fever  
>When you kiss me<br>Fever when you hold me tight  
>Fever<br>In the morning  
>Fever all through the night<strong>_

Rachel sought her out in the crowd, Quinn was sure of it as their eyes met one another's. The girl wearing the nose ring gulped as the heated gaze bore into her. The little songbird's honeyed voice delivered the lines

_**Sun lights up the day time  
>Moon lights up the night<br>I light up when you call my name  
>and you know I'm gonna treat you right<strong>_

**_You give me fever_**

Then without warning her eyes were averted. Rachel's attention traveled to a girl who looked as if she was Middle Eastern descent. She was very soft on the eyes. The sudden change stung, and that was something Quinn couldn't ignore. She could see Puck eye her strangely in the corner of her eye and he seemed to be warring between turned on, concerned, and utterly confused. Brittany looked at her as well, looking somewhat apologetically and Santana glanced knowingly but they all soon brought their eye back to the stage.

. **  
><strong>_**When you kiss me  
>fever when you hold me tight<br>Fever  
>In the morning<br>Fever all through the night**_

Rachel had motioned the girl on the stage and she took no time complying. 'Eager much, bitch,' the punk girl spitefully thought as she witnessed Rachel hold out her hand to help her up the few steps to the platform.

_**Everybodies got the fever  
>That is somethin you all know<br>Fever is'nt such a new thing  
>Fever start long ago<strong>_

Rachel guided the girl over to center stage delivering the lines

_**Romeo love Juliet**_  
><em><strong>Juliet she felt the same<strong>_  
><em><strong>When he put his arms around her<strong>_  
><em><strong>He said Julie baby your my flame<strong>_

She circled her slowly, running the fingertips of her right hand over the girl's shoulders as she did so. 

_**Now give me fever**_  
><em><strong>When were kissin<strong>_  
><em><strong>Fever with that flame in you<strong>_  
><em><strong>Fever<strong>_  
><em><strong>I'm a fire<strong>_  
><em><strong>Fever yeah I burn for you<strong>_

The glee singer positioned herself facing the audience in front of the darker girl's body before crouching down and slowly swaying herself back up to the words

_**Captain Smith and Pocahontas**_  
><em><strong>had a very mad affair<strong>_  
><em><strong>When her daddy tried to kill him<strong>_  
><em><strong>She said daddy oh don't you dare<strong>_

_**He gives me fever**_  
><em><strong>With his kisses<strong>_

****_**fever when he holds me tight  
>Fever<br>I'm his misses  
>Daddy won't you treat him right<strong>_

She took the girl's hand and placed a soft kiss on the back of it, leaving the girl with a wide grin before she was motioned off of the stage. Quinn was livid. Who did Rachel think she was? It was cruel what she was doing. There was no way the other girl didn't know what she was doing to her. 

_**Now you listened to my story**_  
><em><strong>Here's the point that I have made<strong>_  
><em><strong>Chicks were born to give you fever<strong>_  
><em><strong>Be it fair and have a sense of game<strong>_

And there it was. Rachel was issuing a challenge, at least that's how the former blonde took it. If that's what Rachel Berry wanted, then that was what she was going to get.

The brunette on stage fanned herself as she looked to various girls and finally landed her eyes on her Jewish friend. Puck was almost giddy with the action. He watched his Jewish princess with awe as she finished out the song.

_**They give you fever  
>when you kiss them<br>Fever if you really learned  
>Fever<br>Till you sizzle  
>But what a lovely way to burn<strong>_

_**But what a lovely way to burn**_  
><em><strong>But what a lovely way to burn<strong>_  
><em><strong>But what a lovely way to burn<strong>_

She took a few steps towered and then down the stage steps with each delivery of 'But what a lovely way to burn,' until the music faded away and she was safely on the ground floor.

Rachel had eagerly sought out Puck once her number was done, no doubt looking to see how he liked the performance. She was quickly barreling into his arms. He beamed at his little friend with pride.

Before she got the chance to ask he was rambling out, "Damn, babe. I knew you were great but that blew up the hotness scale."

"Totes, Rach," Brittany said, wrapping her arms around both Rachel and Puck the best she could.

"Not that you don't bring it every week." Santana looked at Quinn as she said it. Her eyes had a certain brand of evil that only the Latina could convey. The former cheerleader didn't much care for what was being reflected at her in her friend's eyes.

Rachel let out a full bellied laugh at the praise. "Thank you guys. I'm glad I could cover up what little left over damage from the 'hallway incident' with makeup. I admit I wasn't feeling very sexy enough for this song."

"Badass looks damn sexy on you Berry," Santana said, again looking at Quinn. "Wouldn't you say so, Q?"

"Like really sexy," Brittany added before kissing Rachel's cheek.

Puck smirked at the singer in conformation. Quinn did not appreciate any of it, "I need a beer," she spat at the group. Santana snickered.

"I want one too," the cheerleading co-captain mocked. "I'll be right back Britts."

"Okay," her girlfriend chirpily replied and excitedly continued to sing her friends praises.

The two friends approached a cooler filled with some light beer that Dylan was no doubt responsible for.

"What's got you so butt-hurt," Santana asked with amusement. "That was fucking awesome."

"Screw you, Santana," Quinn snarled back.

Her friend just smiled and said, "Q, we've been over this already; this ride is too much for you to take. Maybe if you start on the smaller rides first, like Rachel per se, you can work your way up to the big kid rides."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Quinn was pissed and there was no need to hide it from her friend. It wasn't as if the other girl wasn't poking her with a stick anyway. "Stop trying to start shit. I'm sick of it."

"Stop being such a fucking pussy and go for what you want, damn it," the Latin girl spat back. "If she's what you want then say so. B and I would leave her alone if you would just admit you were into her."

Quinn looked over to where they had left Rachel, Puck, and Brittany and noticed that Farah had joined the group. "I….I…I" she stuttered.

"I, I, I, I," Santana mocked, annoyance evident in her voice. "You're fucking Quinn Fabray, that's who you are. What the hell happened to you? Did all that that pink shit screw with your brain?"

"What about that?" The punk girl pointed to Rachel and Farah's now locked arms.

Santana huffed. "That can be over as fast as the words 'I'm with Quinn now' can be said. She told you point blank that there was no romantic relationship with them. It's just something to pass the time away."

"Whatever," Quinn hissed in frustration before guzzling down half of her beer in one shot.

"The Quinn I knew went and got the things she wanted."

"Haven't you been paying attention, S? That Quinn is long gone."

"No she isn't," Santana's tone had suddenly switched to that of genuine worry. "She's still in there under all that bullshit. I want you happy and if that means I have to support this whole punk look then fine, but I will not support you being a dumbass."

"Whatever," was again the brilliant comeback.

"Get your shit together before you lose your chance, Fabray." With that, Santana stomped back over to her other friends, leaving Quinn as she polished off her beer before reaching for another.

Forty minutes later she was making out with the first chick to hit on her that night. During one of her brief detachments to breathe she saw Rachel exiting with Farah on her arm.

* * *

><p>Quinn found herself drinking more than she ever had, which is probably why she ended up in the backseat of Lynette was it? Or was it Laura? No it was, Lisa, oh who cares it didn't matter she'd called her Rachel when all was said and done.<p>

Brittany and Santana lead Quinn up the steps to Dylan's empty room once they'd reached the Berry house. Puck had already taken the couch. They had no clue that they'd be subjecting the hazel-eyed girl to hearing Farah and Rachel go at it, and not too long later Dakota had joined them. The bedrooms were next to each other and unlike Rachel's room, they weren't soundproofed.

She ended up stumbling into Lorna's room, who allowed her to crash in her bed.

* * *

><p>The next evening Quinn found that she wasn't quite sure how she managed to be roped into driving the seventy miles it took to get to the lesbian bar just outside of Dayton. She still couldn't fathom why her friends were able to talk her into these kinds of things and now, it involved fake I.D.s. Not even Rachel's housemates were clued in on their Saturday night venture. The foursome had claimed to be doing some glee bonding with the rest of their teammates, which was partially true. The glee kids were hanging out that night, though the four of them opted to skip it. Technically they were teammates and they were bonding with each other.<p>

A simple conversation on whether or not Rachel had true seduction skills outside of performing seductive music numbers turned into an outright debate, which became a bet that sent them to a lesbian bar that none of them had been to before, just to settle the score. It was determined that Rachel would have to work her magic outside of her usual stomping ground in order to prove anything so here they were at the oh so appropriately named 'Club Diva' barely catching their breaths after they each managed to pay the ten dollar cover charge and pass off their fake I.D.s for real ones.

Quinn and Santana didn't actually need I.D.s unless they planned to drink as the club was an eighteen and over, but this was Santana and she was going to drink. Quinn was going to be the designated driver and she had no intention of repeating the previous night, but she liked to be prepared.

It was the opposite of what she expected. She's imagined some musty smoke filled room with tacky green walls and every lesbian stereo type known to man, but aside from the outdoor volleyball court, complete with sand, the club was a very soft environment.

"Alright," Santana boomed. "Let's get down to business."

"Let's go over the terms once more, just so we have no miscommunications," the small brunette said after taking a sip of diet coke. She'd told her friends that she wanted to be sober for this. She wanted to be on top of her game.

"Britts gets to pick her," Santana eyed her blonde girlfriend. "No singing to get into her panties."

"I won't be getting into anyone's panties," was the reply. "But I won't sing."

"She has to give up the digits."

"Phone number," Rachel confirmed. "Got it. It doesn't count if Britt picks someone who is in a relationship."

"This is so stupid," Quinn groused. "Why do I let you guys talk me into this stuff?"

"You want to see if Berry can pull it off."

"No, I really don't." Quinn wasn't lying. She really had no desire to watch Rachel flirt with women in a whole new way. She didn't like it much in general, so why on earth would she want to see it seventy miles away from home?

"This is going to be so much fun," Brittany bounced in her seat.

"If I win, San has to eat vegan tomorrow at brunch. I get to make her plate and she has to eat every last bite," Rachel interjected.

"And if I win, Berry here has to perform a repeat of T.K.O. in glee, minus, you know…the prized fighter look. Plus Britts and I get a private encore performance of _Nasty Naughty Girl._"

"How about her," Brittany excitedly pointed at a woman about Quinn's height, though she had hair as dark as Santana's. It almost resembled _Jersey Shore'_s, Snooki's hair style. Quinn made a look of distaste at the thought. The woman was slender and not at all hard on the eyes. She was in a formfitting green dress with a pair of matching heels.

"Game on," The Latin girl smirked.

"Game on indeed," Rachel replied.

"God," the pink-haired girl groaned.

"First we assess whether she's into wooing or being wooed," the girl said factually. "Don't gawk at her or she'll think something's up. Talk about sectionals or something." Brittany was quick to oblige.

Quinn looked at Rachel subtly observe the woman for a few minutes as she leaned her side into the bar and had a playful conversation with one of the bartenders. The bar was hardly crowded, which was a bit of a surprise for a Saturday night. She watched as the woman tossed a few bills onto the bar and collected the drink next to her, and made a move toward a group of woman in the back. The woman began talking as soon as she got to her table and in turn it filled with laughter.

"She's a go getter," Rachel finally said over the conversation being had around her.

Quinn scrunched her brows. "How could you possibly know that?"

"She has an air about her," Rachel began. "She's brazen and it would appear she's always the first to begin conversation."

"Whatever," Santana rolled her eyes. "Just get the job done."

"I'm on it." Rachel smiled mischievously. She turned to Brittany. "Brittany would you mind dancing with me?"

"Sure," the tall blonde agreed, already abandoning her seat. She grabbed the shorter girl's hand and pulled her over to the dance area. Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow's 'Picture' was already playing half way through the first verse.

Brittany was always smooth on the dance floor, and usually so was Rachel. This time, however, Miss Berry was placing her body in awkward positions as if she hadn't taken dance lessons for most of her life. Rachel was a bumbling mess. She occasionally sent shy glances and smiles toward her intended target, but she just didn't seem like she was handling the situation well at all.

"I so have this one in the bag," she heard Santana bark out in laughter at the sight.

"Looks like it," Quinn replied, not taking her eyes off of the singer.

At first Brittany looked confused as well, though after exchanging a few words with her dancing partner, she appeared to have an understanding. At the end of the song, Brittany spun Rachel around, effectively sending her right into the table of women and causing her to throw out a myriad of apologies.

Quinn winced at the sight and opted to go and try to spare her friend from further embarrassment. "I'm going to go try to salvage some of her dignity." Quinn mentioned to an amused Santana.

"Good luck with that," the cheerleader hollered from behind her as she went over to where Brittany and Rachel were.

"Again, I'm so sorry," Rachel commented. "I'm just a little nervous. I've never been here before but my friends insisted."

"Hey, no harm done," said the woman as her friends backed her up with understanding comments.

"May I buy you a drink to make up for the one I spilled," Rachel questioned.

"No, don't worry about it," the woman said back nicely.

"Okay," she answered back. Rachel finally noticed Quinn's presence and added. "Oh this is my friend, Quinn. Quinn this is Maggie," she pointed at the woman. "And these are her friends though I haven't caught their names."

The other four women went around the table saying their names though Quinn wasn't really paying them much attention. When they were done she politely said, "Nice to meet you."

A series of, "likewise" and "you too's" were heard around the table.

"Well, we better get back to our friend," the glee co-captain pointed to Santana. "Thanks so much for understanding about my unfortunate clumsiness."

"No problem," Maggie answered as they departed the table.

The three teens walked back over to Santana. "You okay," Quinn asked.

"Better than," Rachel said wistfully sitting on her seat. Brittany looked as if she knew something nobody else did, but she had that look a lot in general.

"So that went down in flames," Santana said proudly.

"Oh don't count me out just yet, Lopez."

"Rachel, you tanked it," Quinn even conceded.

"It appears so, but just give it time."

"Please, Berry. You were behaving like a total idiot out there. You were dancing like Hudson."

"It seems I was," she began to say back when Maggie was suddenly at her table.

"Hello again," Maggie smiled lazily at the group and then at Rachel.

They all greeted her though; Quinn had a sudden knot in her gut. "This is Brittany's girlfriend Santana," Rachel pointed.

"Hey," Santana replied. Maggie nodded at the darker girl.

"So I know I said not to worry about my drink, but could I get you one," Maggie said suavely to Rachel, who looked down and blushed.

"Um, sure. I'm drinking diet coke," she replied shyly.

"Care to join me while I order it?"

Rachel grew a wide expectant smile. "I'd love to."

"Great," Maggie held her hand out, prompting Rachel to take it. Rachel took it and off they went.

"What just happened?" This was Santana who had lost all traces of her smugness.

The little trip to the bar had lasted well past the arrival of Rachel's drink. In fact it lasted through two of them. Rachel giggled and twirled her hair. She gestured to the black jean skirt that adorned her from above her hips to just above her knee, even longer than the skirts she wore to school most days. Then she motioned to her purple button up blouse. "My friend over there," the small brunette pointed at Santana, speaking a little loudly as she did so. "She picked this outfit out for me. She was worried about me looking somewhat risqué," she finished, looking all too innocently. Technically it was true. Santana had insisted upon getting the final say on Rachel's wardrobe because she didn't want her winning the bet just because she was dressed like sex on legs.

This seemed to amuse Maggie, probably because Santana herself was dressed in a low cut white halter top and tight black leather pants, much to the vegan girl's chagrin. "You look quite wholesome," Maggie replied, raising her voice just as loud as Rachel's had been. The conversation continued though they both lowered their voices once more.

Quinn watched as Rachel hung onto Maggie's every word with rapt attention. She had that wide eyed awed look going on and the girl with the pink hair was less than happy about it. 'Take me away and show me the world,' Quinn imagined the glee club co-captain saying. 'You could give me the world if I let you.' It was frustrating to think it, though it was right there, staring her in the face. Dismissing her feelings was no longer an option in the moment. The punk girl hadn't seen Rachel look at anyone like that since she had dated Finn.

This scared Quinn in a way that she couldn't describe, but she recognized it. The singer had been quite sexually open as of recently but that look hadn't ever crossed her face. Quinn was feeling like she was about to be robbed of all of her most valuable possessions.

Then it happened; Rachel was handing Maggie her phone, and the woman was punching her phone number onto the keypad. Before the two females parted ways, the older woman took Rachel by the chin and brought their lips together. It wasn't heated. No tongues were involved, but Quinn couldn't help but feel sick.

When Rachel returned to her friends she slid her cell over to Santana and said, "Call and confirm if you'd like," her feeling of accomplishment radiating the air. "You're just going to love egg substitute."

Santana just groaned. Brittany giggled.

"Rachel," the hazel-eyed girl rasped.

"Yes Quinn," the little brunette happily answered. Before she knew it Quinn was crashing her lips to the other girl's in a firm demanding desperation. She'd had enough of this, all the teasing and the feelings. She was sick of every woman around putting their lips on this girl she had only recently been able to admit to caring for. She needed this, if only just for this moment, she had to have this.

It was nothing like kissing Sam, Finn, Puck, Mac, Rob from the summer, or even 'what's her name?' This was something new entirely and she wasn't sure if she wanted to stop, even if her mind was screaming for her to. Never had she been so confused, yet sure over anything.

"Looks like I didn't lose out completely," Santana laughed maniacally as her girlfriend clapped from her seat.

Rachel pulled their lips apart and gasped desperately for air. Quinn couldn't take it. She had to get out of there. She had to run, so she did, only to have the brunette singer follow her yelling, "Stay and dance. I'll go after her," over her shoulder. Quinn had sprinted to her car in a panicked frenzy, though Rachel had quickly slipped into the passenger side. They were silent for a while but Quinn was still freaking out. "Why did you run?"

"Huh?" the girl with the pink hair couldn't bring herself to look at the other girl.

"Why'd you run away? Nobody in there thinks it's weird to kiss a girl."

"I didn't freak out that you're a girl," Quinn said honestly, bracing herself for what was going to probably be the most honest conversation she'd ever had, including the ones she'd had with herself.

"Then what's so wrong with me that you had to run away?" Rachel was obviously slipping into that 'I'm not good enough' mode and it broke Quinn's heart. She hadn't seen that girl in so long that she'd almost forgotten she was there underneath all of that bluster and bravado.

"Nothing's wrong with you, it's just… It's... Why did you have to kiss her?"

"She kissed _me_," she clarified. "Besides it isn't as if you hadn't seen me kiss people. That was fairly tame in comparison."

"Who said I was okay with it then, Rachel," Quinn hissed. "You give yourself away like it's nothing."

"So what," Rachel shot back. "You ran off because you couldn't stand thinking that you just kissed some ho?"

"No," Quinn quickly tried to recover. "I know you aren't a slut. I'm sorry if I ever implied…..Look you just… God you're always so damn frustrating. You get under my skin in the worst of ways," Quinn was almost yelling, unsure if she was angry or worried. Perhaps she was both. "Do you know how many years it took for me to perfect my shell?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You," Quinn spat. "You of all people are always around when my life is crumbling around me. You're always the one who manages to get in where nobody else can. Hell you're the only one I've known more than a year who even tries anymore."

"I'm sorry?" Rachel said it like she wasn't sure.

"No, I'm not asking for that it's just... It feels good, okay? Damn it feels so good that someone tries so hard but then you always manage to crack me a little bit more each time and I can't control myself enough not to feel anything. You make it so hard to hide from you and now it's affecting me with other people. Why do you have to be so fucking understanding? Even when I'm a bitch to you, you just keep coming after me," she huffed in exhaustion.

"You'd rather I didn't. You want me to leave you alone, to hurt on your own?"

"No, but I wish I did. Rach, I just want to blurt it all out when you're there, doing what not even my parents ever did. But I'm not supposed to. I'm not supposed to let people in that much. You make me feel things that I just can't afford to feel. I can't control myself around you sometimes, much less control you."

Rachel took in the admission and pondered the words. "Quinn. Quinn, look at me." Quinn reluctantly did as she was told. "No one ever will control me. I can be annoying that way," she was trying to add humor to the situation.

Quinn's voice relaxed. "But I need to," Hazel eyes were releasing tears. "Finn, Sam, and Puck. When I couldn't control Puck anymore, when I saw that he was still doing whatever it was he was doing with Santana, I had to boot him and stick with Finn because he was too hard to keep in line. Then Finn became a challenge because…."

"Because of me."

"Yeah, because of you," she chuckled to show that she really wasn't holding onto that grudge. "You were always his undoing."

"Is that what the head Cheerio thing was for you?"

"It was my best shot at control. I'm a Fabray, that's what we do. Even now I can control myself by simply saying I don't care but you ruined that too, because I really do care. Like more than I should. I care so much that it makes me physically ill sometimes."

"Caring doesn't make you weak Quinn."

"In my world it does," she said in nearly a whisper. "I cared about my father's opinion of me and everyone knows what happened with that. I cared about my daughter, even though I tried not to and it nearly killed me to give her away. And then there's…..you."

"It hurts too much to watch you suffer." Rachel quietly spoke up. "It always has. I just don't want you to be alone and in pain."

"Why," Quinn asked meekly, afraid of the answer.

"Because despite our past, I've always cared about you. I wasn't sure how until prom, but I thought I had to move on. I thought it was a lost cause." with her left thumb, Rachel gently brushed the handful of tears from the pale girl's puffy red eyes.

"What if it's not?"

"Then maybe we can start off slow and work our way up. We don't have to declare anything. It's our business."

"What about Farah and Dakota? I like them well enough but it takes everything in me not to lose it on them when I have to think about what you guys _do _together."

"We have an understanding. We always knew that aspect of our friendship was going to end."

"I have to tell San and Britt. They are way too friendly with you. Part of me thinks Santana's just been screwing with me on purpose."

"And Mac?"

"We don't even talk anymore."

"Just checking."

"I'm going to try really hard not to hurt you but I can't promise that I won't. I tend to hurt people, you should know that better than most," the former blonde said solemnly.

"There are no guaranties," Rachel mused. "But in the meantime, I'm going to erase Maggie's number."

"Thank you," Quinn whispered.

"Quinn?"

"Yeah?"

"What happened with that girl, the one from the party?"

"How long have you been waiting to ask me about that," Quinn smirked, for the first time in a long time feeling like she had the upper hand.

"I…since I saw you kissing her. I um…that's why I dragged Farah out of there. That's why I slept in her and Dakota's bed." Rachel sounded quiet and somewhat embarrassed.

"I was," Quinn took a deep breath and looked to her lap. "We…I'm not going to lie to you Rachel. I…we almost had sex in the back of her car."

"That's hardly original," Rachel hissed. Quinn almost let herself smile at the fact that Rachel was obviously uncomfortable thinking about her with someone else. She had been suffering for what seemed like an eternity watching Rachel hook up with other woman and unfortunately Finn. If she were being honest, her feelings probably went as far back as the whole songwriting debacle.

"Neither was you hooking up with whoever you felt like right in front of me. So sue me if I had finally had enough of seeing you all over random women," she spat back. "You looked like you were about to have sex with that skank right there on stage."

"I was preforming, Quinn."

"Is that what you were doing with Farah and Dakota last night, preforming?"

Rachel looked at the taller girl guiltily. "I was mad at you and frustrated that you wanted her more than me."

"Then you know how I've felt all this time," Quinn looked at Rachel's eyes that were full of emotion. It amazed her as to how she'd seen Rachel's eyes range in crazy ways lately, though she could still revert back to those large doe eyes. "Look, I didn't do it to hurt you. I needed to get out some frustration and she was there. Hell I ruined any chances of being with her the second I called her Rachel."

"You called her, Rachel?" the brunette looked confused, but kind of proud at the same time.

Quinn gave a soft smile and giggled. "That's what I said isn't it? She understood enough to tell me that I was dumb for trying to get over you by getting under her, because apparently that just puts me between two people."

"Kinky," Rachel joked. "Who knew sluts could be so smart?"

"Oh, I can smell the hypocrisy," Quinn continued to tease, enjoying a jealous Rachel. She'd been fighting admitting her own jealousy so much that she'd glossed over Rachel's as of recent. She hadn't wanted to see it, but now it was on in full swing, and she was ecstatic.

"Well get a good whiff," Rachel pouted, causing Quinn to laugh, though her laughter was cut short when the shorter girl leaned over to the driver's seat and covered Quinn's pink lips with hers.

* * *

><p><strong>So I hope this one was worth all the slow pace up to date. They moved pretty quick within the chapter but we got our Faberry kisses on, right? I'm not addicted to crack, but I am addicted to reviews so I'd love to hear how you thought the chapter went. Too fast, slow, awkward? Nice pace, maybe? Let a girl know. Thanks.<strong>


	9. Girl I'm Gonna Get You

**Title:** When Secrets Come Out to Play

**Chapter 9/?** : **Girl I'm Gonna Get You**

**Fandom:** Glee  
><strong>Pairings: <strong>Rachel Berry /Quinn Fabray Side Brittany/ Santana Rachel/Others minor Quinn/OC  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 for sexual themes and eventual smutt.  
><strong>Word Length<strong>: 2000+ per chapter.  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Quinn puts her quest to find herself on hold in order to figure out the suddenly more mysterious Rachel Berry. She soon finds that there is more to the little brunette than she ever thought possible. Perhaps she'll even figure herself out on the way. Punk!Quinn Semi-Baddass!Rachel.

**Spoilers: **All aired episodes, only a few things from season three as it's AU for the most part. **NO LUCY CABOOSY!**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "Glee" because if I did Finchel would not be a couple and Faberry would be sneaking off to janitor's closets together. Brittana would probably join them from time to time. So I guess it would be on showtime too. I do own a few of the OC's, including the chick based on me, though Dylan has a crazy mind of her own.

**I love you all so much for the reviews, faves, and alerts. They make my heart happy.**

**Thanks to t8kmybreathaway/LadyHawke69 for doing wonderful beta work.**

**A/N: There is mild discussion of spirituality in this chapter. I do not mean to offend anyone with the comments made. It isn't anything huge, though it may make some uncomfortable. **

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><p>Quinn bounced her leg up and down from her seat at the table. Her eyes repeatedly shifted back and forth between Rachel and her plate, while she used her fork to push around her turkey bacon. The car ride back to Rachel's had been fairly quiet if you didn't count the kissing noises from the back seat that Brittany and Santana occupied.<p>

Rachel and Quinn never did make it back into the club. After about an hour the Latina and her blue-eyed girlfriend came out to the car, only to see the little songbird and the punk girl in a heated session of dueling tongues. After Britt expressed her excitement and Santana threw out some sarcastic comments, the four of them began their drive home with Quinn at the wheel, thinking entirely too much and once they'd gotten back to the house, they parted ways and took up their usual sleeping arrangements.

She'd had this outburst that went against the person she generally was and she doubted it would repeat itself, or at least she hoped it wouldn't. Then again she wouldn't have believed anything like that would have happened in the first place. But she'd been desperate and rather than just leave it at a kiss, she found herself spewing verbal vomit all over the place and pretty much smashing her resolve. She'd basically broken down to Rachel every analytical thing she'd come up with about herself as of recent. The crap she scribbled in her journal had found its way to her lips and she just couldn't seem to stop herself. God, how that pint sized diva was rubbing off on her.

Their admissions hadn't been some magical remedy that all of a sudden made everything in the world make sense, but Quinn did get an overwhelming sense of relief after unburdening herself. She wasn't about to go holding Rachel's hand and being all googly-eyed in public or anything, but she knew she wanted to try.

The brunette did things to her physically and mentally and the thought of not having that challenge in her life was maddening. She could admit that she was in like with the Berry girl. She was more than a little attracted to her body and very stimulated by the other girl's wit, humor, and ability to never give up. Then there were her obvious talents, a fact that at one point, Rachel was willing to verbalize repeatedly until her acquaintances understood as much.

There had been a veiled talk of exclusivity because they were both the jealous type when it came to claiming things as their own. Quinn knew this about herself and she would have been lying if she denied that Rachel's desire to claim her when she hadn't tried to do so with any of her recent bed buddies was an ego booster.

She had been brought out of her inner thoughts when Farah's voice cut in. "What's with you serving Santana-rama?" She was observing Rachel. Then she looked at Santana. "And what's up with you eating what you have so lovingly referred to as, 'Rabbit shit on a plate' so many times?"

"Bet," Santana answered, as she picked at her scrambled egg substitute.

Rachel smirked over at the cheerleading co-captain. "Santana has learned that it is never a good idea to bet against me."

"Rach got my Sanny good," Brittany said looking empathetically at her girlfriend.

"What was this bet about," Dylan chimed in. "Please say you weren't dumb enough to challenge her to some musical trivia game."

"Sure, we'll go with that," Santana quickly replied, no doubt realizing that they hadn't explained exactly what they had been up to the previous night.

Dakota looked at the high school girls from one to another. "Wanna elaborate with the truth or are we gonna play the guessing game?"

"Geez, Pops," Santana snickered. "I bet Rach that she couldn't pull a chick without using her musical prowess. Apparently, I was wrong."

"Ha," Dakota let out an amused chuckle. "The girl has her ways."

"Yes, I do," Rachel confirmed.

"San totally thought she won but Rach pulled out some of her tricks." This was Brittany.

"The girl has a way about her with the ladies," Farah smirked.

"Even I could have told you that was a sucker's bet," Lorna giggled out.

"I almost feel bad that you got played," Dylan knitted her eyebrows together and sucked on her teeth as if the words literally tasted bad in her mouth. "Okay, maybe not that bad."

"When did all of this go down, anyway," Lorna asked curiously.

"Last night," Quinn admitted, finally speaking up.

"You did that with all of your glee friends hanging around?" Lorna looked at Rachel pointedly.

"Okay, so we hung out at a club in Dayton," Rachel sputtered out. It was clear that lying to Lorna was a difficult task for the little singer.

"Rachel Barbra Berry," Lorna began, "Why did you lie to me?"

"I didn't lie. I said I was bonding with fellow glee clubbers. Quinn, Brittany, and Santana are all in glee and trust me when I say we bonded." Rachel shot the pink-haired girl a quick glance as she finished her sentence, causing Santana to chuckle.

"You lead me to believe otherwise, Ray."

"Well excuse me for wanting to participate in some teenaged shenanigans with my fellow schoolmates," Rachel huffed. Quinn nearly laughed at the response but she hampered it down.

Lorna looked at her cousin as though she was about to chastise a child for playing ball with an expensive vase. "I don't think so, miss missy. You're hardly lacking in teenaged angst. Need I remind you that I'm very clued in on your regular activities?"

"Then, why are you so bothered," Rachel said back in her most petulant manner.

"Because normally I know where you are," the black girl groaned. "Antonio can keep us safe at the warehouse but he can't do anything for you if you get caught all the way in Dayton with a fake I.D. in one hand and a martini in another."

"I don't drink martinis and as a matter of fact I only drank diet coke," Rachel replied, suddenly losing the bite in her tone.

Lorna took a relieved sigh as her eyes softened again. "Just, please limit your partying to what we all know. I don't want to risk you're legal record or our little family here." Rachel nodded. "Add to that, I really can't stand it when you lie to me." Her cousin went to protest again but Lorna stopped her with a wave of a hand. "Omission, Ray. It still had the same result, even if it wasn't outright."

"Sorry," the brunette girl said sincerely, looking down at her plate.

Quinn's eyes shifted to Dakota while she was watching the cousins go back and forth, and she was ready to get involved if necessary, though they all knew Lorna hardly ever needed backup in this kind of situation. Nobody really wanted to argue with her.

"I believe you," Lorna smiled. Her voice adopted a playful tone. "So, was she a prince or a princess?" Just like that the tension at the table went from mild discomfort to light hearted once more, though Quinn still felt a bit awkward.

"Total Prince," Rachel shot back with pride.

"Bumbling and naive, or confident and hard to get," Dakota asked with a cheeky grin strewed across her face.

"She was a charmer with a slight hero complex and her friends were around to see it, so I went with bumbling and naïve….Worked like a charm. She wanted to show the baby-lez the ways of the great big lesbian world." the singer retorted, looking cocky as ever. "Though some doubted me," Rachel playfully glared at the Latina, still picking at her food.

"How was I supposed to know you had that shit down to a science?" Santana growled. "And you couldn't have put some fruit on here or something? I might be able to choke this crap down if there was something I actually liked on this plate."

"Chase it with your orange juice," Dylan suggested.

"You guys are all such wimps," Dakota rolled her eyes at the conversation. "Ray and I know how to prepare a decent and edible meal to accommodate a proper vegan lifestyle."

"Wow babe," Farah laughed. "You sound like Ray when she rambles."

Quinn looked to Rachel expecting to see the girl pouting at the implication, though the other girl simply sat back in contentment. "What can I say," she held on to her plastered smirk. "I have a way with people."

"Yes you do," Farah replied suggestively. Quinn slightly scowled.

Santana took a bite of her egg substitute scramble and quickly gulped some orange juice. Then the Latina made a sour look and said, "I should get some kind of amnesty. You hustled me, Berry."

"I did nothing of the sort, Santana," Rachel defended.

"Oh my god, S," Quinn raised her voice from her seat between Santana and Rachel. "Can someone pass me the vegan friendly eggs and that fake bacon?"

Rachel complied speedily, beaming as she did so and Quinn plopped a decent portion onto her plate. The punk girl pushed her turkey bacon to the side and took a big mouthful of the scramble. The whole table watched her as she chewed, which was slightly uncomfortable to say the least. "See," she said after swallowing, "I'm not dying, or ready to sprint to the bathroom. It taste pretty good so chill out and eat the damn food," she said irritably.

Santana didn't even try to cover up the whipping noise she so brilliantly added to the end of Quinn's little rant, which made everyone but the hazel-eyed girl giggle a little. She glared at the Latina and then over to Rachel, though with affection.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Rachel babbled, probably trying to escape Quinn's smoldering gaze, "Quinn wants to help out in the kitchen next week."

"Is that so," asked Dylan.

"I'm a regular June Cleaver," Quinn let out an unladylike snort at the memory of Rachel calling her a punk June Cleaver and then took another bite of her scramble. Lorna followed suit, though her reaction was a little more demure.

"I have every faith in you," Rachel affirmed.

"Thanks," Quinn replied with her palm in front of her in order to cover up her full mouth.

"I'm looking forward to it," Lorna added.

"Q used to make me the best French toast when we slept over," Brittany said excited.

Santana looked over at her girlfriend and said, "I'd kill to be eating them right now instead of….."

"Get over it, sucker," Dylan openly teased.

"Why don't you eat it and then I will."

"I've had it before, and besides, I wasn't the dumbass that made the bet," Dylan shot back.

"Yeah, whatever," the Latina cheerleader grumbled.

"Hurry your ass up if you wanna….um you know, go to the Leather Pavilion." Dylan looked over to the former blonde. "You're coming too right?"

"Yeah," Quinn answered quickly. She couldn't help but be annoyed that Santana and Dylan were being so obvious that something was going on, and now that she was involved in their little plan, she really needed them to be stealthier about the whole thing.

"Barbarians," Rachel said in offence. "All of you."

"Yeah, I know," Dylan responded as if she'd heard the same rant over and over. "How could I participate in the perpetuation of killing all the dear sweet cows for the purpose of parading around in it to look cool when there are perfectly acceptable alternatives in pleather?" She took a deep breath, having not done so in her little memorized paraphrased speech.

"Well you know the question, so how about an answer? I mean it's one thing to eat animals but to wear them when there are perfectly vegan friendly options is….."

Dylan looked at Dakota pleadingly. "Don't look at me. I'm with Miss Broadway on this one."

"Leave wifey alone," Lorna stepped in. "Off the soapbox cuz."

"Fine, but I still find it barbaric," Rachel huffed.

"And we still don't care," Santana snarked triumphantly before taking another bite of her food.

They'd only decided to use the Leather Pavilion because short of a slaughterhouse, it was the one place Rachel wouldn't ask to join them. It would give them time to plan.

"The Cheerio and I wanna play dress up with Pinky," Dylan airily gave an explanation. "Don't go hording 'em all to yourself."

"Yeah Rach. Learn to share. You can't keep all this fineness to yourself," Santana quipped and motioned as if to put herself and Quinn on display. "Or you can just think of it as pay back. You've denied me real food and now I gotta go take it out on the innocent cows. So really, this is on you."

Quinn could feel the blush creeping onto her face as Rachel grumbled, "By all means take San. She's a lost cause," Rachel looked over to her transgendered friend. "I'm still on the fence about Quinn," she said now with a bashful smile.

"You can't keep San but you can borrow her." Brittany looked from Rachel to her pink-haired friend. "I don't mind sharing sometimes but she's mine. She likes me best anyway."

Santana couldn't help the gentile smile that crept on to her face. "That's right Britt. You're the best, baby."

"Speaking of whipped," Quinn muttered under her breath.

"Awe Sanny bear, you're such a softy," mocked Dylan. "I'm getting cavities over here."

"Shut it, D." Santana glared after giving her girlfriend a chaste kiss to the cheek.

"But you're so cute Santana," Farah joined in. "Your just a bowl of mush"

Santana flipped her the bird as giggles were heard around the table. "Now I don't think Britt would appreciate you demanding to fuck me."

"It's cool if I can be there," Brittany bounced.

"Oh no, B. I'm not ever going there," Santana confirmed.

"Hey, I'm a hot peace of ass," Farah said incredulously.

"Yes you are," Dakota placated while patting her girlfriend on the back.

Rachel looked at Quinn, who was getting uncomfortable. That would have been about the time the brunette would have normally added some kind of sexual innuendo but Quinn appreciated that she didn't. Surprisingly Farah didn't either.

"Or maybe you're just an ass," Dylan chuckled.

"You can kiss my ass," Farah threw back.

Dylan's smirk grew devious. "It'll take all day to kiss your ass." The comment was pointless. It was common knowledge that Farah's ass was not full in the slightest.

"Then I guess you better get started," Farah cackled in reply.

"Okay ladies," Lorna said sweetly, "Don't make me send you to time out."

"Screw time out," the Latina barked out in laughter. "I say take a belt to their asses."

"You know," said the trans-girl, "That is so not a deal breaker." She winked at Lorna who could no longer hold in her own laughter.

The black girl shook her head playfully saying, "Hopeless. My girls are just hopeless."

"I'm inclined to agree," Rachel chuckled along. "Britt and I are going to the animal shelter to atone for the bad karma you three," she pointed to Santana then Quinn and finally Dylan, "And your affinity for cow hide." She and Brittany had made plans once they knew Santana was going to be otherwise occupied. They had told her that something was up, though not exactly what and the tall dancer accepted as much. She figured that if Quinn was involved, Santana and Dylan wouldn't take things too far. Quinn almost thought that in this case, the cheerleader's faith in her was too much.

"Don't be trying to save my soul," said Dylan. "You'll be working at it forever and won't have time to keep your own intact."

Quinn wasn't really taken aback by the comment. She had been raised religious and she still very much believed in god, despite her physical appearance and new foul mouth, but her perception of the Bible now deviated from the interpretation her father had tried to beat into her, sometimes literally saying, 'You're going to get this into you one way or another, even if I have to beat you with scripture." He'd left a bruise or two throughout the years where the binding had met the ivory flesh shielding her ribcage or her shoulder. It wasn't like he beat her on a regular basis, or even left many marks, but when he did it was enough to leave an impression.

Quinn might believe that she and maybe even Santana were doomed to hell at times; however, as she looked around at the woman surrounding her, she refused to believe that they were fated to burn in the fiery pits simply for the lives they were leading. Some of them could be brash, loud, and obnoxious but they truly were good people, no matter who they were attracted to.

"A girl can try," Rachel sassed.

"This is why I'm a Lornist," Lorna smiled genuinely.

"A what?" Santana scrunched her brow while Brittany simply smiled back.

Quinn shared the same look as Santana but everyone else looked as if they knew what the girl in question was talking about.

Brittany answered for her. "Lorna believes in god and god believes in Lorna. Between the two they have their basis covered. She doesn't question god's love or her love for god. It's like, she does her best and that's what matters. Even if she makes mistakes, her heart is still in it."

Santana looked at her girl with pride and Quinn looked at her friend, mouth agape. "Beautifully said Britt-Britt," Lorna praised. Quinn wondered when the older Berry cousin and Brittany had found the time to have a philosophical conversation about such things when neither she nor Santana was around.

"I think I like that," Quinn said. "Can I be a Lornest too?" She chuckled as if she was joking but she liked the concept. God's love for her was supposed to be unconditional and vice versa, though her father had muddled that teaching by implying that there were always conditions. Getting pregnant at sixteen was apparently one of them. Lorna's way just seemed to sum up what it should be.

"Well I'm not starting any cults but I'm sure you have a pretty strong line to god if you look for it."

"As nice as this little religion talk is," Dakota said looking a little shifty, "I think we should finish up here. We all have things to do."

* * *

><p>They still hadn't discussed what had gone on a couple days earlier. Santana had tried to push Quinn into talking about it, but the former blonde was not spilling.<p>

It was the Monday before thanksgiving when Rachel was gifted with something she never would have seen coming. As usual Mr. Schuester was running late, though Quinn couldn't fault him for this one. Some misguided youths, who the punk girl may or may not have been associated with, had slashed the man's tires at a certain pink-haired girl's request.

Quinn, Rachel, and Brittany were sitting in the back row chatting about the most random things (They pretty much let Brittany guide the conversation.) as Quinn anxiously kept glancing at the door.

"What's up?" Rachel leaned into the former blonde when Brittany's attention was briefly averted by a text message.

"Nothing why," Quinn answered.

"You keep looking at the door."

"I'm just wondering where Santana is?"

"Oh, me too," was Rachel's response before turning back to Brittany, who had completed her text task.

"San says she'll be here in a few minutes," Brittany smiled and went back to her idle chatter.

True to her word, a few minutes later Santana was happily gracing the room with her presents, followed by an equally chipper Dylan and a reluctant Cindy Holloman.

"What's she doing here," Mercedes shrieked.

"Yeah, she has no business showing her face here," Kurt spat incredulously.

Rachel, Quinn, nor Brittany spoke as the room shot into an uproar, though Rachel's look of confusion could not be missed.

Seeing that things were getting off task, Dylan wet her lips and stuck her fingers in mouth, letting out a loud whistle. "Everybody shut the hell up," Santana yelled once everyone's voices had begun to die down. "Cindy here has something to say." She turned to address her less than enthusiastic companion. "Don't you Holloman?"

The brunette Cheerio nodded, shifting from one foot to the other, her eyes trained on the floor.

"Now use your words," the Latin girl chided, using a condescending tone.

Rachel looked at the three girls in front of the room and stood with her eyebrows furrowed. "I'm not sure what you did but stop," the little singer stated sternly.

"Come on Ray," Dylan half whined. "We went through a lot to get this for you."

"Dylan," Rachel huffed pinching the bridge of her nose as she did so.

"Listen up Berry, this is gonna happen so sit your munchkin ass down and listen up. Or stand for all I care," Santana said with authority.

Dylan nudged the Latina's side for using the nickname and Quinn said, "Watch it, San," in warning.

"Fine, just listen Rach, okay," Santana said lifting her arms in retreat.

"She needs to say this," Quinn whispered into the songstress' ear. "She owes you hell of a lot more, but she needs to say this."

Rachel nodded then situated herself back into her seat.

"Gets to talkin' Holloman," Santana smirked in her victory.

Cindy began to open her mouth when Dylan stopped her, "No, I think we agreed that you're doing this on your knees." Quinn snorted, thinking about how Cindy had spent a lot of time on her knees as of recent. The brunette Cheerio slipped to her knees with obvious embarrassment before attempting to complete her task once more. "Rachel I'm sorry for wha-"

Santana interrupted yet again. "Uh uh, nor paraphrasing. Use your notecard?"

"I misplaced it," Cindy replied through gritted teeth.

"Awe sweetie," Dylan mock cooed. "Quinn was nice enough to write up an extra one for you just in case."

Quinn could see the girl was losing resolve and getting more and more aggravated with each passing second. 'Serves the bitch right,' she thought. 'Maybe next time she'll think twice before opening that mouth of hers.' Quinn outwardly grimaced at her internal thoughts. 'For more than just the shit she says.' Quinn reached into her pocket and slipped a notecard out. In all her punk glory she stood up and glided her way down the risers, strode over to Cindy and handed her the extra notecard she had prepared just in case Holloman 'misplaced' her original.

Cindy reached for the card quickly. "Where are your manners miss? What do you say to Q?" Santana was getting a sadistic pleasure out of this and so was Dylan. Quinn may have been enjoying this a little more than she cared to admit as well. The rest of the club was simply dumbstruck at what was going on in front of them.

"Okay you guys you're taking this a little far." For some reason Quinn didn't think Rachel's words were all that genuine. Quinn was sure she was getting off on this a little, but she was supposed to be morally opposed to such things so she was acting as if she was really bothered.

"Just let her say what she needs to say and this will all be over," Quinn stated, her eyes on the girl on her knees before twirling around and going back to her seat.

Dylan cleared her throat. "You may continue."

Cindy's hands gently shook as she held the notecard up in front of her face as if to hide from the many glaring eyes of the room. She inhaled deeply and began her speech again. "Rachel Barbra Berry, I apologize for being a vindictive bitch. It is so obvious that you are more talented and amazing than I." It looked as if the cheerleader had to choke down bile in order to deliver that line. "I am lucky to get the chance to be in your presents." Cindy took a couple of seconds to prepare herself to get the next words out. "While you are famous and adored by many, I will most likely be in Lima slinging hash for the rest of my life, married to some balding man that doesn't appreciate me. I wish I could be more like you."

When they were all sure she was done, the silent group looked to Rachel to see what she would do. "Get up Cindy," the glee co-captain demanded. Cindy complied. "I don't know what they did to get you here and while I am very appreciative for their efforts, this was not necessary. An apology means nothing if you don't mean it and at this point, I don't know if I could forgive you even if you did mean it. So please just get out of my sight and stay out of it. When you see me in the hall, do your best to go the other way or pass me as quickly as possible. I can't guarantee that seeing you won't piss me off all over again and make me want to repeat what was started in the hallway."

Cindy locked eyes with Rachel for a few seconds. The looks in both their eyes were intense as they stared one another down. Finally, Cindy faltered and started to exit the room.

"Holloman," Santana barked. Cindy turned around without a word, looking more dejected than ever. "You know where you need to go next. Don't keep her waiting; she has less compassion for you than we do." Cindy again gave a silent nod and took her leave.

"Now will one of you explain what just happened?"

"I think I speak for all of us when I say we'd all like to know." Finn spoke. The other kids didn't bother correcting his honesty.

"Well you're gonna have to wait," Quinn said offhandedly. It wasn't mean or spiteful; she just didn't want to have to explain things to them before explaining them to Rachel.

Dylan grimaced a little, no doubt expecting a longwinded chastising of her own. Santana laughed uncontrollably. The punk girl took it upon herself to say, "I'll tell you when we get out of here. We can go now. Schue's tires got slashed so we probably won't get much done here anyway."

"What on earth," Rachel questioned.

"I'll explain that too."

* * *

><p>Rachel, Brittany, Santana, Dylan, and Quinn gathered together in Rachel's bedroom. Dylan sat at the desk while Santana, Brittany, and Rachel took the bed and Quinn opted to stand.<p>

"Okay, I'm waiting," the little brunette impatiently gasped. "How, what and when?"

"Well," the pink-haired girl began. "It's like this. So we all knew something was up between San and Dylan, right?"

Rachel confirmed the assessment with a nod. "I figured but I hadn't realized it had anything to do with Cindy."

"I've known S for a long time. I knew she wasn't going to be able to let the Cindy thing go and I I'd be lying if I hadn't been plotting in my head as well. But when those two," she motioned to both Santana and Dylan, "started putting their heads together, I knew it had something to do with that bitch. I confronted San on Friday."

* * *

><p><strong>Friday evening before the warehouse party...<strong>

"_I know you're up to something," Quinn said lowly as the cheerleading co-captain put the finishing touches on her hair. Brittany was in the shower and oddly enough, Santana hadn't joined her. _

"_What are you on about," the Latina feigned innocence. _

"_Cut the crap, San," Quinn hissed. "If this has anything to do with Holloman, I want in."_

_Santana smirked evilly at her friend. "I was wondering how long it would take you to try to get in on this."_

"_Why didn't you bother getting me in on this, whatever 'this' is?" Quinn was almost envious if not outright so, that she hadn't been consulted in any revenge plots. _

"_Because I didn't know how far you were willing to go, and I didn't want to get you into shit with our sexy hobbit." Santana winked at her and gave a slight chuckle. _

"_But you and D are willing to deal with the wrath of Berry," she sarcastically inquired. _

"_D's dealt with that little spitfire long enough to know what she can get away with and as for me; it's just something I would do."_

"_What are you doing?"_

"_Look, Britts knows something's up but she knows not to ask questions. I may have some dirt on Holloman but it won't be in my hands until Sunday afternoon. Dylan and I are heading to that leather store to get some proof from our contact while Britts and Rach go to the animal shelter."_

"_Your contact, really? Are you 007 now or something?"_

"_Maybe I am. So you coming?" _

_They both heard the water turn off from the shower before Quinn murmured a quick, "yes."_

"_Keep this shit to yourself," Santana stressed. "We're doing this and I don't want it screwed up."_

"_I got it, S" the hazel-eyed girl shot back in annoyance. She could keep a secret. There was no reason for Santana to browbeat it into her head. _

"_Good. Now let's finish getting fine so I can go gets my party on," Santana looked at her friend with mirth. "I may even gets my Berry on."_

_Quinn punched her friend in the arm just enough to cause discomfort. "Quit being so vulgar. She isn't some sex toy for your amusement."_

"_Not yet she isn't, but I'm sure Dakota and Farah are willing to share."_

* * *

><p><strong>Sunday afternoon at the Leather Pavilion...<strong>

"_So where is this 'contact'? They're late."_

"_She'll be here soon enough.," the Latina paced back and forth._

"_I'll call her," Dylan offered. Before she could properly retrieve her phone from her purse, a loud clearing of someone's throat was heard behind them. _

_A look of surprise took over the former blonds face as she took in the new addition to their group. "Ronnie? What are you doing here?"_

"_Nice to see you too, Quinn," the heavy-set seventeen-year old rolled her eyes. "Just because you dropped us doesn't mean we fell off the face of the earth. It's not like you don't still hangout in our spot. You've even been bringing the annoying shrimp around."_

"_Watch what you say about her," the ex-skank replied but softened her tone to say, "Look, I've just been figuring things out."_

"_Funny, I thought that was what you were doing with us. But I get it I guess. You needed to do your thing and it wasn't about the skanks," said Ronnie. _

"_I'm happy for this little reunion and all, but I believe you have some information for us," Dylan interjected. _

"_Why are you helping? You don't even like Rachel. Hell you can barely stand San," Quinn asked. Santana smirked, not looking at all offended._

"_Yeah, but I hate Cindy more," Ronnie said threw pursed lips. "The irritat-….I mean, Rachel didn't deserve that shit and Cindy is pure evil. Satan might be a bitch, but at least she gives a shit about people other than herself. Holloman….after what she did to us, she deserves to burn."_

"_Us?"_

"_That's for me to know, but I want her to suffer, even if just for a little bit."_

"_So what do you have for us," asked Santana, who was growing impatient. _

_Ronnie pulled her own cellphone from her pocket and pushed a few buttons before passing her phone over to the Latina. Santana held up the phone and looked at the screen and then Quinn swore the other girl's eyes bugged out of her head when she gasped. "Oh hells no, this is too good. It's sick and barf-worthy but oh so good," Her face was contorted in a way that it didn't seem to know what emotion to go with. _

"_Crazy isn't it." Ronnie laughed lowly._

_Santana got to another picture and cringed "This is low even for her!"_

"_What? Let me see," Dylan demanded. _

_The raven-haired girl put her left hand over her eyes, while passing off the phone with the other. "Please take it. I'll never be able to unsee that horror and it's only fair that you be traumatized too." _

_Dylan only briefly viewed the contents on the screen before passing the phone to a patiently waiting, but curious Quinn. "Oh god help me I'm going to be sick."_

_When Quinn got the handset she began inspecting the screen. Dylan had accidently clicked off of the photos in her frenzy so Quinn was forced to pull them up again. When she finally got to the recent pictures she was assaulted with a vision of Jacob Ben Israel trying to find his chewing gum, which apparently was somewhere down the cheerleader's throat, and he felt that his tongue was the most effective way to find it. The former Cheerio blanched in disgust._

"_Oh that's not the half of it. Keep going," Ronnie spoke up. _

_Quinn did as she was told as her vision suffered more with each snapshot. There was groping, and below the waist action that involved knees and…this was just….eww. "How the hell did you get this? If they weren't both eighteen they could put you away for possessing child porn." Quinn's looked harder at the phone as she noted the scenery surrounding the offensive pictures. Is that Sylvester's office?"_

"_Don't worry about that," Ronnie answered curtly. "Now we know why Jewfro's been all up her ass," she giggled cruelly, "Literally." They all made a face. "I'll send them to you but I want her when you're done. Don't give her any leeway. You handle her and then send her to me."_

"_Not that I care but you're not gonna like kill her or anything right," Santana queried._

"_No I'm not gonna kill her," Ronnie spat sardonically. "I've got other plans for her, but I won't hurt her, well, maybe just her pride." _

"_D and I will get her tomorrow before glee. We'll catch her off guard. Make her apologize in front of the whole club. Then she's all yours," Santana answered. _

"_What about Mr. Schue?" This was Quinn. "He's late like all the time but if we do this right, it'll take some time." She looked over to Ronnie. "Do you think Sheila and The Mack would be up to say, maybe slashing their not so favorite Spanish teacher's tires as a distraction?"_

"_We'll deal with that," Ronnie smiled cheekily to her former partner in crime. _

"_Thanks. I know exactly what to make the bitch say in her apology," Quinn said jovially with a glint in her eye. _

* * *

><p><strong>Present <strong>

Rachel sat with her jaw hanging open. She looked back and forth between the co-conspirators repeatedly before landing her mahogany eyes on Quinn's Hazel.

"Close your mouth, baby," Dylan ended the silence that has been accumulating. "You're catching flies."

The brunette clamped her mouth shut before doing something Quinn hadn't expected. She thought she may get a lecture, maybe even the silent treatment for a couple of days but she certainly did not expect Rachel to burst out in laughter so much that she had to wrap her own arms around herself. "Oh my," She said between gasps and laughs. "I…I…should be so disappointed in you three right now." She panted for air and then continued. "This whole thing was kind of sick but…..wow….you three really went all out. God I love you guys so much right now." She shot up from her seat on the bed and wrapped her arms around Quinn's torso, not even bothering to hide her affections. "You're the only one I've ever dated that defended me," she said a bit quieter into her left ear and let her lips graze the earlobe.

"Hey can I get some love too, I helped," Dylan playfully whined.

"Of course," Rachel went to Dylan and hugged her tightly. "I feel bad for you though."

"Why is that?"

"Lorna isn't going to find this as amazing as I do," Rachel admitted.

"Awe, she'll rant a bit and make me feel a little bad but then she'll realize that it was worth it," the student answered sagely.

"For your sake I hope so."

"I'd ask for some lovin' too but I don't think Q would be down for that. It's all good though, I gots my Britt-Britt." Brittany jumped up and demonstrated just how right the Latina was.

Rachel happily returned to Quinn and again took her in her arms. "Thank you." Before Quinn could get out a 'you're welcome', Rachel was kissing her and practically begging to be allowed entrance. The former blonde didn't even have to think about granting access. They were definitely going to have to discuss the full nature of their relationship.

* * *

><p><strong>I know there is lack of Faberry times in this chapter but there will be plenty of it in the next. They have some talking to do and some hormones to deal with. Hopefully I didn't go too far with all the revenge plotting. As always I look forward to your reviews and opinions on the chapter. I'm cool with constructive criticism as long as you're respectful about it. <strong>

**Thanks all…..**


	10. Final Warning

**Title:** When Secrets Come Out to Play

**Chapter 10/?** : **Final Warning**

**Fandom:** Glee  
><strong>Pairings: <strong>Rachel Berry /Quinn Fabray Side Brittany/ Santana Rachel/Others minor Quinn/OC  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 for sexual themes and eventual smutt.  
><strong>Word Length<strong>: 2000+ per chapter.  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Quinn puts her quest to find herself on hold in order to figure out the suddenly more mysterious Rachel Berry. She soon finds that there is more to the little brunette than she ever thought possible. Perhaps she'll even figure herself out on the way. Punk!Quinn Semi-Baddass!Rachel.

**Spoilers: **All aired episodes, only a few things from season three as it's AU for the most part. **NO LUCY CABOOSY!**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "Glee" because if I did I'd fix it. "Man I Feel Like a Woman" is all Shania Twain's.

**I love you all so much for the reviews, faves, and alerts. They make quite happy in life.**

**Thanks to t8kmybreathaway/LadyHawke69 for doing wonderful beta work.**

**A/N: My apologies for being MIA. Life and illness have been kicking my butt. **

It had taken a couple minutes for the twosome to come out of their reverie, only due to Santana announcing that she and Brittany were headed to her place to have some alone time. The four high school students as well as Dylan said their goodbyes and Quinn watched as the other couple scurried out of the room. She took a large intake of breath before turning around to deal with the fallout of the kiss she and Rachel had shared in their older friend's presents.

Quinn was worried. Dylan had finally started to believe that her intentions towered Rachel were decent and now that could all be ruined by one ill-timed, however, delicious mind you, but still ill-timed kiss all the same. She searched for the brunette's hand and once found she slightly squeezed it in her own. Rachel returned a reassuring squeeze, looking from the former blonde to the current one.

"Oh, come on," Dylan sighed dramatically. "It's not like I didn't see this coming. I wasn't so sure you'd get it together at first," she looked directly into Quinn's hazel orbs as she said it. "But you did so good, for you." Though there was an undeniable sarcasm dripping from her voice, the happy undertone wasn't lost on Quinn at all.

"That's it?" Quinn looked at Dylan in puzzlement. "That's all you have to say? No threats. Or messed up looks of warnings?"

"We've had enough of those, don't you think?" Quinn could only nod at that. She could do without another 'hurt her and I'll kill you' conversation. Okay so the other woman had never actually threaten to end her life, but it was implied enough.

"Dylan, please tell me that you did nothing of the sort on my behalf. I appreciate the thought but I simply can't have you threatening Quinn." Rachel scolded.

"It's me, what do you think," Dylan stated the obvious.

The brunette looked to her pink-haired companion. "I apologize for whatever it is that she said or did..."

"Don't you apologize for me," Dylan said annoyed. "I'm not sorry for anything I said to Quinnie the pink over there."

Quinn found it in her to speak up and stop whatever it was that could unfold. "She shouldn't have to be sorry for having your back when I wasn't exactly being all warm and lovely with you."

"See, she gets it. Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go share this piece of info with my girl. I figure I can tell her what went down at McKinley and then distract her with," Dylan paused and smirked mincingly, "this. She'll be so happy about it that she might not have time to climb up on her moral high horse."

"Just don't blab to Blue or Farah please. I want to talk to them about this myself."

"Yeah, whatever. Like they don't know," Dylan said as she quickly passed the new couple to escape the scene. She was thoughtful enough to close the door behind her.

"So," Quinn said while staring at the recently closed door.

"So," the other girl parroted, looking down at the carpet.

"You haven't told them yet?" The former cheerleader tried not to sound aggravated that Rachel hadn't officially ended things between herself and her FWBs, though she was not doing a very good job of it.

"We haven't discussed it but I haven't participated in so much as a closed mouthed kiss with anyone else since you and I decided that we would try either," Rachel explained. "Though I do wonder what exactly that means to you."

Quinn ran her right hand through her pink locks and sighed. "I wasn't really sure if I wanted to put a label on it. I mean, other than the people that live here and Britt and San, we were keeping it quiet so….I don't know. Would it make since to be girlfriends?"

"Are we working for a relationship, Quinn?" Rachel asked plainly. There was no eagerness in her voice, no pressure. It was a simple question but it seemed so loaded.

The taller girl had to be honest with herself. It wouldn't make sense for her to expect Rachel to be faithful to something that wasn't a relationship. As far as either of them knew, they could crash and burn faster than it took them to establish anything major, but in the meantime, Quinn didn't want anyone else's lips on Rachel. She'd dealt with it for far too long; she wasn't going to subject herself to that any longer.

"Well, in my world girlfriends come with exclusivity, Rach."

"I told you I'm okay with that."

"Will they be?"

Rachel looked the tiniest bit annoyed when she said, "I believe I also told you that they know what we have isn't a relationship. We make each other feel good. In the end they don't need me. They have each other."

"Just, tell them okay? Please," Quinn stressed. "I want us to be together. I really do want to try to make something more with you but I can't deal with that. I just can't." She was trying her damndest to be stern and not pathetic. She was actually pulling it off well and mentally gave herself a pat on the back for it.

"Okay, Quinn. Dakota gets off in a couple of hours. Fare hangs with her till she's done. I'll talk to them when they get home."

"Thanks," Quinn said quickly before nervously sitting herself on Rachel's bed.

"Of course," was returned. "Now I have a question for you."

"Shoot," Quinn said, though for some reason she was still somewhat nervous.

"Do you enjoy kissing me, Quinn?"

The other girl was perturbed as to what would possess the smaller brunette to ask her such a thing. Of course she liked kissing her. The few times they'd had the opportunity were very enjoyable. "Why would you even ask that? You'd think it'd be obvious."

"I enjoy kissing you as well, but I didn't want to assume. I should have asked before sticking my tongue down your throat in front of those three."

"Yeah because I asked your permission before I did the same thing in a bar full of strangers," Quinn answered sarcastically with a chuckle.

Rachel laughed lightly. "I suppose you have a point."

"I don't want PDA for now though. I just want this to be about us alone; just you and me." Quinn grabbed hold of her newly established girlfriend's hand. "Maybe we can be all girlfriendy at the warehouse parties too." She said it like it was a compromise but in truth, she liked the idea of all those girls knowing that Rachel wasn't available and it wasn't as if they knew her in any other capacity in life.

"I'm not going to tone myself down, Quinn," Rachel warned. "I won't stifle my creativity over jealousy. My future will no doubt be full of roles that involve touching and sexual things involving others. But I won't do anything overly inappropriate."

All Quinn could do was nod. She wasn't even going to suggest Rachel change up her routines. She knew the other girl better than that and despite hating to see her all over anyone else; she very much enjoyed the performances in general. She knew she wouldn't be able to control Rachel the way she had Finn and Sam. Rachel was not the type to be managed and coached through a relationship. She wasn't going to be able to demand Rachel do what she wanted and then expect positive results. 'Progress, not perfection,' Quinn thought to herself. She had heard her mother say that regarding their relationship on many occasions, once she'd moved back home. She began to believe the mantra a lot.

"I can work with that." Quinn smiled.

Rachel grinned back, placing her head on Quinn's shoulder. The former blonde reveled in the action as she tried to figure out how to initiate her next move without behaving too much like a horny thirteen year-old boy. "Could we, maybe…I mean if you want to um…we could have a repeat of earlier." She stumbled.

"Miss Fabray, are you propositioning me for a make out session," Rachel feigned naiveté with wide questioning eyes. Her girlfriend couldn't help but giggle at her antics.

Feeling a bit more confident Quinn sat up straight and said, "Or I could go find someone else's lips to entertain me."

"Don't you dare," Rachel said with a silly kind of authority before claiming Quinn's lips as her own.

They spent the next two and a half hours intermittently kissing and breaking for water, or the bathroom, or just lying next to one another. It was nice. Quinn had always counted down the minutes until the person she was kissing would leave her to herself, but she liked that Rachel was still there. She wasn't pressing her for more, or trying to eat her face as they brushed soft lips and tongues. This was the way it was supposed to, or at least the closest she'd ever come to it.

She reluctantly watched Rachel get up and head for her bedroom door. "I'm sure they're home. I guess I better get this done and over with." Quinn felt more anxious that the brunette appeared to be.

"I can go with if you want," she offered.

She was relieved when her girl said, "Nah, I got this under control," with a wide smile and padded out of her bedroom, leaving Quinn to stare at the television across the room.

* * *

><p>It was ten minutes later when she heard Rachel's door creep open once more.<p>

"How'd it…" she was stopped midsentence when she noticed the body entering the room was bronze, taller, had dark curls falling to her shoulders, and she was very much tattooed. "Oh hey." She tried not to sound disappointed.

"Hey, back at you," Dakota stood with a soft curl to her well-glossed lips. "Ray and Farah are having a discussion. I figured I should give them a one-on-one." Dakota sat down on the desk chair.

"Oh," Quinn answered, not quite sure what else there was for her to say. She hadn't really had any one-on-one conversations with Dakota. Of all of them, she was the most introverted which was saying a lot considering Quinn wasn't quite the conversationalist until recent. "So I guess this is when I get the 'be good to her or else' talk." The girl looked awkwardly at the taller woman.

"Well, if you break her heart she'll handle you herself," Dakota chuckled. "But if it puts you at all at ease, Farah's giving her a version of that speech in your favor."

"Why would she do that?" The former Cheerio was confused as to why Farah would be having that talk with Rachel.

"She seems to think Ray has more of an ability to hurt you than the other way around." Dakota held up her hand, cutting off the question that was about to spill from the younger girl's mouth. "She feels like she knows where you're coming from….. Just let her have it, alright."

"O-okay."

"But you and I should talk." She held up her arms in a surrender pose before adding, "No threats of bodily harm I swear." Quinn nodded. She stared into dark grey eyes. "Okay so I know we haven't talked a lot."

"I think I know the least about you," Quinn admitted.

"Okay, let's see," the older woman began, "so I'm from Indiana….little place called Garrett."

"Just gonna lay it all out to me, huh," Quinn joked during the woman's brief break in words.

"Eh, may as well," the other woman smiled and let out a small chuckle and gave a quick wink.

"Well then by all means, do continue," the former cheer captain continued to jest.

Dakota tapped at her chin dramatically as if she was trying to recall her past. "So, my parents were long gone before I was five so my grandma raised me." Dakota took in the look of sympathy on Quinn's face. "She was a crazy miserable hag." Dakota's laughter was bitter. Quinn could hear the venom. "When I was fifteen she found my journal in one of my dresser drawers and found out I had a crush on this girl I used to study with." She gave a watery smile and rolled her eyes. "Grams lost her damn mind. Went fucking ballistic and made sure to beat that nasty gay out of me damn near every day for the next three years."

This hadn't exactly been surprised by the confession. She figured Dakota had something sad to deal with. They all seemed to have some sort of story. Dylan's seemed the happiest because even though her road was probably the hardest, her family loved and accepted her. When she was seventeen her father got a promotion that relocated him to Long Island and Dylan had refused to follow. Lorna had just moved to town and the two had been friends since Lorna started visiting her uncles and cousin during summer and spring breaks when they were no more than seven and eight.

Lorna grew up in Cincinnati. Her mom passed away from liver cancer when she was fifteen but the girl opted to live with her godmother until she graduated high school. After graduation she decided she wanted to be closer to her ailing uncle and her favorite, albeit only known cousin, as her father's whereabouts had been unknown as long as she could remember.

"That's terrible," managed to say.

"Yeah, apparently good Christian girls don't 'do that', but I got my ass out of there as soon as the clock struck twelve on my eighteenth. Pointed at a map and found another small town to land myself in. I wasn't planning on staying long. Just long enough to get my GED and figure some things out but you know what they say, right?" Quinn shook her head in confusion. "The big guy upstairs laughs at plans or whatever. He planted that crazy chick I'm in love with at Delray's Diner, where I happened to work at the time, and she had a little band of misfits to boot."

"Love at first sight," Quinn asked with a little dreaminess in her eyes.

"Oh god no," Dakota laughed. "Farah and Dylan got on my last damn nerves. Rachel and Lorna spent almost the whole time apologizing for their," The woman briefly paused to remember what was said, "inappropriate childish behavior,'… Rachel's words," she confirmed. "But a week later Fare applied for a job there and we started to see eye to eye." The DJ wriggled her eyebrows. "Eventually, we started seeing more than each other's eyes." Quinn chuckled at the last comment. "D and I came to an understanding not too long after and we're like sisters now."

"That's actually kind of sweet," said the pink-haired girl. "I wasn't always Rachel's biggest fan either."

"I've pieced that together," smiled Dakota. "When I met Ray I thought she was a cute kid. Then for some reason I just felt the need to protect her." Quinn began to get nervous again. She was afraid of where this conversation was going. "When we started fooling around with her I didn't think it was a very good idea though. I loved her and wanted to make her happy. I wanted to make Farah happy so we fell into it. But here's the thing, other than each other, we love her more than anything." Quinn visibly slumped.

"No look," Dakota tried recover. "I mean, we are rooting for you. You need to know that. We aren't gonna try to keep her or anything. I doubt she'd have that if we tried. We aren't gonna sit around waiting in the wings for things to go bad between you two. I want her to be healthy and happy." She placed a gentle hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "But if you do break her, I'm not gonna turn her away, neither will Farah. I don't mean if you have a fight we'll pounce or anything. I just mean if she's suffering, we're gonna be there for her. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Quinn nodded but it took the next few minutes of silence for everything to sink in. Part of her felt like Dakota and Farah loved Rachel more than even the singer knew, but she could see that they were genuinely stepping back. They were allowing Quinn to make things work with the small brunette, which kind of made Quinn feel like she had to step up her game.

"Don't let her pretend too much," Dakota continued. "She'll pretend like she's okay, happy even when she just isn't. We cater to that most of the time but when it's something big, you have to push her or she'll swallow it whole and choke on it."

"Okay," the pink-haired girl replied. "Nice imagery by the way."

"Thought you might appreciate that," Dakota mentioned nonchalantly before saying, "and offer yourself up sometimes. I'm not saying breakdown or anything, just let her know a little about how you're feeling. She's more likely to be honest with you about her own thoughts if you return the favor in kind. She'll have crazy moments but you have to back her up in front of people. If she's out of line tell her in private, but don't back her into a corner around people. She isn't perfect but she needs to be told she's loveable and pretty in more than a get in her pants kind of way. Despite the outward confidence, she's still feels like the ugly kid that nobody wants to sit by sometimes. Crazy I know, but it's there." Dakota dabbed at a small tear in the corner of her eye and began to chuckle. "You're a cool chick, girly. Stay that way."

"I'll try," the former skank whispered, unsure about the feelings she had about what was just said.

"What's going on in here," Rachel's voice happily filtered through the room.

"Oh," Quinn spoke up. "Dakota and I were just discussing ideas for a nice date."

"Yeah," the woman in question said with slight unease. "You, my girl, are quite high maintenance. I figured I should clue Quinn in on what she's getting her pretty pink head into."

"Well one would think that obvious," Rachel joked.

"Yeah, I kind of figured," Quinn confirmed as she took in the sight of Dakota gliding over to hug her smaller friend and leaving a small kiss on her temple.

"I'm gonna go see if Farah wants to go out right now, she'll probably want to go for a ride or something."

Dakota slipped out of the room, leaving the two girls alone. Rachel stared after her until after the door had been closed and then continued to watch the door for a few seconds after that. "Does she seem alright to you," Rachel questioned, her eyes still trained on her bedroom door.

"Um, yeah I guess," Quinn answered, though she wasn't sure she believed her own words.

The short brunette finally let up and turned to Quinn with traces of a smile gracing her face. "Hmm, I hope she's is. Oh well, I doubt it isn't anything a ride on the back of Janice won't cure," she said wistfully. "No matter what she says, she enjoys riding on the back of that thing."

"So do you," Quinn lifted one of her perfectly sculpted brows in challenge.

"It's fun. I used to think the thing was a deathtrap but it grows on you," Rachel conceded. "So a date? I haven't been on one of those in a while."

"I was thinking maybe Saturday…you and me and whatever I choose to surprise you with."

"I like surprises. Just please don't surprise me with something like a ham and cheese sandwich," Rachel laughed.

"Why on earth would I do that," Quinn laughed back.

"Oh, he was just trying to be sweet and set up a cute little picnic for us but Finn had the hardest time remembering I am not only a vegan but I'm also Jewish," Rachel playfully shook her head at the memory. "I mean that was completely anti vegan and un-kosher in so many ways. You'd think he'd at least come up with vegetarian if he remembered nothing else. Not the same as veganism but closer than what he came up with."

"He's an idiot," Quinn gritted her teeth. She wasn't so angry that he had forgotten something so big, but that he had even had the opportunity to be in that position kind of got on her nerves. "But luckily for you, I'm smarter than the average oaf."

"Very lucky for me," Rachel beamed.

"So how'd it go?"

"It went okay," the brunette smiled, though a little sadly. "I'm supposed to give you a lot of time and patients. Apparently I can be intense and I shouldn't bulldozer you into anything heavy," the smaller girl mused out loud.

"Good thing I don't feel bulldozed when you kiss me," Quinn smirked, making her way to Rachel for another lip-locking marathon.

They could talk more later on but now, now she just needed to feel this. She needed to remind herself that she deserved to be the one in this position. Her feelings were genuine and real, but she wasn't ashamed to be physical with Rachel. She may not be ready to be with her in the same way Dakota and Farah had been, but she was not afraid of it, and she sure wasn't afraid of this.

* * *

><p>The new couple hung out together for the next few days though they had to part ways for Thanksgiving. Santana spent the holiday at Brittany's. Rachel and the rest of the rainbow house spent it together as well, plus Antonio, though minus Farah, who chanced spending the day with her mother. She later found out that it didn't go quite so well. Farah's mother was still judgmental and resentful, and her new boyfriend was, according to Farah, 'a pretentious prick in a suit'. There was some kind of physical altercation, though marks weren't left. Rachel and Farah had to beg and cry to keep Dakota from going over to her girlfriend's mother's house and doing any major damage.<p>

This made Quinn feel a thousand times better about her own awkward Thanksgiving with her mother. It was the second they had spent together alone. The conversations were mundane and generic but it was loads better than the uneasy silence they had sat through during the previous year. Her sister had even managed to call and have a decent chat without getting into a squabble, so all in all, it didn't completely suck.

* * *

><p>The familiar voice of Dakota sweep through the room. "Hello my lovely ladies. Have you missed me as much as I've missed you," She rasped into the mic. The crowd of girls cheered. "As always, I'm your DJ Dakota Blue and it's that time again and Rach-B's getting antsy to get up on that stage and show you what she's working with." More cheers erupted from the audience. "And again, she's parading more eye-candy along with her own sexy self so let's show them all kinds of love." They got even louder.<p>

_**Let's go girls com'on**_

Rachel was sitting on the edge of the stage crossed legged when the stage lights sprang to life. Her hair was flowing beneath her black weaved cowgirl hat. She had on a red men's flannel button up that wasn't buttoned and it nearly swallowed her whole. She wore a white form fitting wife beater under it and the black skirt she added to the ensemble landed just as her thighs ended. Add to that the black cowboy boots to match and she was quite the stunning cowgirl. Her right leg bounced as she began to sing.

_**I'm goin' out tonight I'm feelin' alright**_

_**Gonna let it all hang out**_

_**Wanna make some noise really raise my voice**_

_**Yeah I wanna scream and shout**_

_**No inhibitions make no conditions**_

_**Get a little outta line**_

_**I ain't gonna act politically correct**_

_**I only wanna have a good time**_

Rachel reached for Brittany's hand, who was standing next to her on the ground floor with Santana on the other side of the singer in the same position. The tall dancer took it in kind and assisted her little friend as she hopped off of the stage singing,

_**The best thing about bein' a woman**_

_**Is the prerogative to have a little fun and**_

Britt twirled the smaller girl around before passing her off to Santana, who led her to the stage, Brittany followed as they skipped to the stage steps. The cheerleader couple both sported denim short shorts and barely there tank tops In Quinn's opinion the silver tops were tacky but she kept the thought to herself.

_**Oh oh oh go totally crazy forget I'm a lady**_

_**Men's shirts short skirts**_

_**Oh oh oh really go wild-yeah doin' it in style**_

_**Oh oh oh get in the action feel the attraction**_

_**Color my hair do what I dare**_

_**Oh oh oh I wanna be free-yeah to feel the way I feel**_

_**Man I feel like a woman**_

Rachel parted ways with her dancers as they made their way up the steps to the stage so that she could link arms with her girlfriend and lead her to the stage along with her. Quinn almost resisted because the thought kind of made her nervous. Alas she still found herself alongside the other girl leading the way to the platform.

_**The girls need a break tonight we're gonna take**_

_**The chance to get out on the town**_

_**We don't need romance we only wanna dance**_

_**We're gonna let our hair hang down**_

Brittany and Santana both whipped there already free flowing hair, while Rachel pulled the hat off her head and offered it to the former blonde. Quinn accepted it and placed it on her own head, feeling a blush overtake her. She may have been a bit nervous, which she couldn't quite understand because between cheerleading and glee she was used to performing in front of hundreds of people, but this was exhilarating in a way.

_**The best thing about bein' a woman**_

_**Is the prerogative to have a little fun and**_

_**Oh oh oh go totally crazy forget I'm a lady**_

At this point all semblance of choreography was gone. Brittany and Santana were dancing with each other like they were simply getting raunchy on the dance floor and Rachel didn't seem to mind much as she slinked her arm around Quinn's midsection, now pressing their bodies together.

_**Men's shirts short skirts**_

_**Oh oh oh really go wild-yeah doin' it in style**_

_**Oh oh oh get in the action feel the attraction**_

_**Color my hair do what I dare**_

_**Oh oh oh I wanna be free-yeah to feel the way I feel**_

_**Man I feel like a woman**_

Quinn knew very well that she was being used as a prop by now and she was quite okay with it. She was convinced that Rachel was attempting to use her as a pole, as the aforementioned girl slinked up and down the pink-haired girl's body.

_**Oh yeah**_

_**The best thing about bein' a woman**_

_**Is the prerogative to have a little fun fun**_

Though when Rachel removed her flannel top, Quinn had to stop herself from picking up the discarded item of clothing and draping it back over her girlfriend's wife-beater, in which now vividly displayed the black bra underneath it.

_**Oh oh oh go totally crazy forget i'm a lady**_

_**Men's shirts short skirts**_

_**Oh oh oh really go wild-yeah doin' it in style**_

_**Oh oh oh get in the action feel the attraction**_

_**Color my hair do what i dare**_

_**Oh oh oh I wanna be free-yeah to feel the way i feel**_

_**Man I feel like a woman**_

_**Oh yeah**_

_**I get totally crazy**_

_**Can you feel it?**_

_**Come come come on baby**_

_**I feel like a woman **_

As the song finished the smaller brunette planted a chaste kiss on Quinn's cheek. Quinn pushed the uncomfortable part of her down and allowed herself to enjoy in what had just happened. Even Puck's leering look of realization from the audience didn't bother her much.

It didn't even overly upset her when Puck later approached her alone outside as she took in a cigarette. "So you and Rachel, huh?"

"Me and Rachel, what?"

"Don't be an ass," Puck huffed. "I thought you might have a little thing for her after you were all weird last week. Hell seeing you make out with that chick was a surprise; a hot surprise but still. Guess I shouldn't really be surprised when it comes to you anymore, though."

"What, you mean the new look makes everything less shocking?" She had a few beers in her and so did Puck so the conversation was fairly playful.

"Yeah, I mean one minute you guys are fighting over my boy, then the next you look like….this, and you and my Jew-babe are all tight and stuff."

"Oh please. You used to throw slushies at her and then I find out you two are all buddy, buddy." Quinn still sounded playful but she still had a bit of resentment in her heart as she said it.

"Yeah, well we do what we need to do to survive the shark tank that is high school. You should know how that goes."

"Yeah," Quinn hiccupped before taking another drag from her cigarette, followed by a gulp of beer.

"You're happier. I like that."

"It's cool being around people that don't have all kinds of expectations," she nearly whispered.

Puck didn't push her into further explaining and the ex-cheerio appreciated it. "She's taking care of herself?"

"She seems okay. We've talked about…stuff." She knew what he was asking but she respected Rachel enough to keep their discussion of the girl's father private.

"Cool," he said just above a whisper, soon followed by a wide Cheshire cat-like grin. "I meant to tell you that the stunt you all pulled with the cheer bitch was badass."

"I just wrote the note," she chuckled with false modesty. "San and D hooked up with Ronnie in the first place."

"Skank Ronnie?" Puck lifted his brow.

"Yeah."

"What'd you guys have on Holliman?"

"If I told you I'd have to cut off your balls and strangle you with them," Quinn said evenly. "At least until the skanks are done doing whatever to her."

"Ouch," Puck replied with a wince. "Really had to go there with the jewels, huh?"

"All those years hanging with San must have rubbed off on me," she bumped him softly with her shoulder.

"My girls are dangerous. Do I need to like, help hide a body?"

"That we are," the girl with the pink hair laughed as she parted distance from her child's father. "I think she'll come out relatively unharmed, or at least that's what Ronnie said."

"What does her word mean to me," he challenged lightly. "I don't know her like that."

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Holliman's been a little skittish since her little apology but she hasn't had a meltdown or anything yet. "

"I usually hate to see a hot girl lose it, but I have a hard time not smiling at the thought of it on her. Rach really didn't need her shit," Puck admitted.

"And now she's learned what happens when you piss off the wrong people, though really, it could have been a lot worse if we weren't worried about Rach getting pissy about it."

"She let it go faster than I thought she would," the boy with the Mohawk said with a sloppy smile.

"I was ready for a few days of cold shoulder. It would still have been worth it but I'm glad she didn't get all upset," Quinn replied.

"That's just because she wants in your…."

"Oh and Puck." She interrupted him. "We don't want the blockheads of McKinley to know, not yet."

"Sure thing," he answered, after taking a large gulp of his own beer. "But you might want to stop looking at her like you want to nail her."

"You're a pig," she said as she continued her trek to the building.

"Oink Oink," Puck said cheekily as he watched her disappear into the warehouse.

* * *

><p>Quinn figured she couldn't blame Puck for cutting out early. She figured he must have gotten over all the couple-like behavior coming from the group. Everyone seemed to be occupied with a partner. Even Lorna was being extra friendly with Erin, who had been spending a lot of time with her these days. There was also the added issue that the boy wasn't getting much play from any of the ladies in the building, so though he had had fun, he was over it for the night. In theory the idea of joining hot lesbians for good sex is arousing but in reality, there are few that are just waiting to add a guy to the mix just because he asks.<p>

So as she watched her friend in the backseat of Antonio's car, who along with Dylan had offered to drop him off at his house on the way to his own; she waved him goodbye and thought about how content she was. She had a lot to deal with coming up, but for right now; she was actually okay with the way things were going.

It was a shame the drama was going to shake up her contented little world. She knew it was coming, though she tried to block it out. There were issues looming over both her and Rachel's heads that couldn't be ignored forever. The former blonde swallowed the cold lump in her throat affectively stamping down her own dark prophecies and went back to her new girlfriend. She made sure to lace their fingers together and in an attempt to speak over the booming music she brushed the brunette's hair from over her ear and leaned her lips to it.

"You're beautiful," she said soundly.

Rachel looked up at her in awe and began to walk her back out of the building. When they made it outside the shorter girl place a soft kiss on Quinn's creamy colored palm before saying, "So is your soul."

It hadn't been what the ex-cheerleader was expecting, Nobody had ever said that to her before. She wasn't sure if she would have believed it but now, she almost did.


	11. Unfold

**Title:** When Secrets Come Out to Play

**Chapter 11/?** :Unfold

**Fandom:** Glee  
><strong>Pairings: <strong>Rachel Berry /Quinn Fabray Side, Brittany/ Santana Rachel/Other, mild Quinn/OC  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 for sexual themes and eventual smutt.  
><strong>Word Length<strong>: 1000+ per chapter.

**Spoilers: **All aired episodes, only a few things from season three as it's AU for the most part. I do spoil the movie/ book Fried Green Tomatoes.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "Glee", if I did I probably wouldn't be writing fanficc. I just changed a few things up to fit the situation. I do own the OC's. The song "Smooth Operator" is by Sade.

**Thanks to t8kmybreathaway/LadyHawke69 for doing some great beta work.**

**So I've been gone forever and I am quite sorry about that. I have been pretty ill for months and eventually it landed me in the hospital for a while so writing was put way on the back burner. I am starting to feel like myself again and I'm not quite as weak anymore. This is me getting my sea legs back in the writing arena. Thanks to all that are still interested and again I am sorry you had to wait so long. **

Part of her was ready to admit that she felt a twinge of jealousy when she'd later thought about Rachel's words to her the previous Friday. Rachel seemed to be so quick to declare her love for Jesse and Finn in the past. Sure Quinn said that she wanted to take things slow but for the slightest second, she was worried that Rachel may have cared about them more than her.

But this had only entered her mind for a brief second. Even Quinn could see that Rachel was the type to grasp at straws when it came to romance during the last few years. But this time, Rachel had told her that Quinn had a beautiful soul. It wasn't some grand declaration of love the most profound but those four words pushed passed every flattering thing she'd ever heard from anyone.

Three boys had claimed to love her in the past, four if you counted her father and all that got her was pregnant at sixteen, dumped, disowned by her father, made her a cheater twice again, and dumped twice more. So being told that she was beautiful in a way that was for once not in a physical way, made her feel things that she never had with anyone before.

Okay…..so maybe the feeling had been felt before. Perhaps even in a bathroom on prom night when told she was more than_** just**_ pretty. And yes, maybe it took her a while to admit how much it meant to her, but now any doubts were long gone.

And then there had been their little "date". It wasn't flashy or full of romantic notions because Quinn was still getting her sea legs with everything. She was pretty sure that to an outsider it only seemed like friends hanging out, except for the hand holding and the kissing of course. It had been nice, just the two of them hanging out alone in the Berry's big empty house. Because she refused to take the brunette to her own home to possibly be subjected to her mother on one of her 'bad' days, Quinn ever so nicely asked Farah and Lorna if they could get everyone to vacate the premises for the night and surprisingly to Quinn, they all had agreed.

The punk June Cleaver went out of her way to make vegan chili from a recipe she had found online. Rachel gave her high praise for it and she even enjoyed the meal herself. Of course she had gone through a couple of practice runs the previous night at her own home to make sure she got it just right. They sat on the living room couch as they ate and watched "Fried Green Tomatoes". Rachel was viewing it for the first time.

* * *

><p>"<em>Wait a minute," Rachel sat up looking somewhat repulsed. "Did they imply that Frank Bennett was chopped up, barbequed and fed to the very detective <em>investigating his disappearance?"

_Quinn laughed at the adorable horrified innocence that formed on the smaller girl's face. She hadn't seen that side of Rachel in a while, the girl who thought happy endings were supposed to happen. "That would be the implication."_

"_But it's bad enough about Buddy and Ruth but then they had to go and add cannibalism too?'_

"_Afraid so, but it was pretty clever," Quinn replied. _

"_It was disgusting, but it I suppose it was kind of genius," the singer surmised thoughtfully. "And he deserved it I guess."_

"_Under the circumstances I'd have to agree," laughed the former blonde. "He was an asshole and wife beater."_

"_I was almost sure that Idgie and Ruth would become lovers. They seemed so in love," Rachel huffed with wide eyes before unconsciously biting her bottom lip. _

_Quinn was eating up the sight. She'd kind of missed this part of the other girl. She knew Rachel's behavior change hadn't been entirely about her, though there was still a part of the pink haired girl that wondered if the conversation she and Rachel had by the piano last spring played into it. She had accused Rachel of always searching for a happy ending as if it were a bad thing. She had told her life wasn't all about rainbows and whatnot. Quinn wasn't completely wrong but she'd hate it if she had somehow stomped all over that innocence. _

"_It was a different time," Quinn said quietly. "It's hard for people to admit these things now, much less back then. They were living in the south and already treading a fine line what with employing and serving black people, and being two single women, one with a baby; that was already scandalous."_

"_I know," Rachel sighed. "But in my version Ruth lives and she and Idgie go on raising Buddy Jr. together. They live as wives even if they have to hide it from the world."_

"_Let me guess. Happily ever after?"_

"_Well yah Quinn. Is there any other way?" Rachel chuckled._

"_I like your version." Quinn smiled lightly, lacing their fingers together. _

"_Thanks for insisting we watched it. It may have left me a little perturbed but I enjoyed it."_

"_I'm glad. It's one of my favorites. I guess it isn't the best date movie but it isn't like we are all that conventional," She chuckled. _

"_Not at all," her girlfriend confirmed. "But then again, conventional can get boring." _

"_That's for sure."_

_Rachel unattached her and Quinn's hands in order to lay her head in the other teen's denim covered lap before re-lacing their fingers. "Thanks again for dinner. It was amazing. I apologize for ever doubting your cooking skills. I definitely ate metaphorical crow."_

"_Thank you," Quinn answered cockily. "It's about time you bow down to my talents."_

"_I bow down to no one," Rachel said in a silly deep voice. Then she giggled and said, "Well, not unless she has her fingers tangled in my hair and she's screaming my name," she winked at Quinn with a crooked smirk. And just like that, innocent Rachel had left the building. _

_Quinn rolled her eyes but kept the smile. "Come on. The lemon pie should be good and chilled by now. Then it's your movie pick." She knew her girlfriend was merely kidding around but the other girl had no idea how tempted Quinn was to take her up on that. She'd been thinking about it for a little while now, even before they had kissed, though she had tried not to._

* * *

><p>All these thoughts were swirling in her head as she sat next to the very girl she was thinks so much about. They were about to practice their sectionals number when Mr. Schuester had come into the room and explained that the meeting would be short that day as he had a surprise for Miss Pillsbury and it was important that it happened on time.<p>

Even Puck had to roll his eyes at the announcement as he was even concerned that the lack of commitment was going to screw up their shot at making it to Nationals. "Dude, we have like two weeks," he spoke up. "We barely practice as it is."

"We may have well have just waited until the last minute like we always did before," Kurt said.

"Well I'm sorry guys but this year is stressful for us all. For many of you this is your senior year. For others there are a lot of things going on in their lives," Will defended.

"Yeah guys," Finn jumped to his teacher's aide. "We all have stuff to do."

Santana looked up away from her fingernails in her seat between Quinn and Brittany. "I hardly call you chowing down on butter, sporting that gassy constipated baby look, and trying to get back Berry's berries as stuff," she said offhandedly.

Brittany and Quinn giggled and Rachel covered her lips with her hand in an effort to hide the smile she couldn't keep from gracing her face.

"Enough Santana," the teacher said at seeing Finn's saddened face.

"I'm just saying," she replied before going back to examining her cuticles.

"I'm not going on stage just to look like an idiot," Kurt grumbled.

Blaine had finally saw it fit to speak. He had felt like somewhat of an outcast among the group because he was so late in the game. This had not what he had expected when he transferred though. Everything he had learned about the group as an actual glee club before he began at McKinley seemed to be completely different now. This was nowhere near the group that had beaten the Warblers the previous year.

The glee instructor hadn't even had Blaine audition in order to become a member of the club. In fact, it was decided that he would get the duet with Kurt before he had even officially transferred from Dalton. He'd hardly had time to practice with the group. "I can guarantee that the Warblers have perfected their performance by now."

Kurt merely nodded in agreement with his boyfriend.

"And we know Vocal Adrenalin has been perfected for months," Mercedes added.

"Guys we've got heart," Mr. Schue explained in an attempted to calm his students. "That's what always gets us the win."

"No, Berry and her psycho need to be perfect and boss everyone around did that," Santana said, this time not even bothering to look up from her nails. Quinn elbowed the Latina causing her to look over to Rachel. "No offence but it's true," the other girl just shrugged but she didn't seem bothered by the comment.

"Santana," the teacher began," Each and every one of you are talented and you all worked hard."

"Please, Tana knows she can out talent all of you," she took a moment and smiled at Brittany. "Well except for Britts." The blonde dancer beamed at her favorite person. "But all the talent in the world means crap without the work."

"That was very wise Santana," Rachel giggled. "Our little San is growing up."

"Screw you Berry," the darker girl replied. "You're lucky I like your midget ass now."

"Language," Mr. Schue stepped in.

"Anyways," Rachel interjected, rolling her eyes. "They're right. Mercedes, Kurt and Blaine have been practicing on their down time so they are pretty ready as far as vocals go. Mike and Brittany can dance like nobody else but as a group, we haven't worked nearly enough. I mean, we're lucky that Sectionals is a couple of weeks later this year but that means nothing if we don't use the time. I'm almost certain all the other schools are."

"Now you have something to say," questioned Finn. "You've been letting us all down since school started and this is when you decide to act like a leader?"

"Apparently she does so shut the hell up," Quinn said through gritted teeth.

"Hey calm down," Rachel whispered as she tried to calm her girlfriend's nerves by rubbing her back, though she turned her attention back to the tall boy. "Look, I get it. I haven't been pushing the importance of preparation this year but I honestly thought most of you would appreciate that. I've been fighting every ounce of my obsession of being perfect during our rehearsals because A; I wanted to feel what it was like to just follow and B; you all hated that about me. It's been driving me crazy thinking that I was going to be on stage in a mediocre number but I dealt with it. So don't look at me like I'm in the wrong," Rachel spat at Finn.

"Nobody ever asked you to do it all, Rachel," the teacher again interjected.

"But we let her," this was Artie. "We let her and then we complained about it. I mean she was a solo hog but she did put in the work and made sure we did too."

Quinn looked at the boy in the wheelchair with a little smile. Yes, Rachel had been a solo hog but Mr. Shue should have tamed that monster. He should have forced auditions rather than delegating from the get go. Rachel may have felt entitled from the beginning but he surely could have nipped it in the bud long before he blew up on her in front of her fellow gleemates. In turn the group probably could have avoided a lot of animosity. But alas, the man hardly ever kept the group in check when they were mouthing off to one another so expecting much more was too much. She had come to terms with the fact that while Mr. Schuester was a good man, he was not the best teacher in the world. Seriously, the guy was a Spanish teacher and didn't even know the language himself.

"I'm willing to admit that much," Mercedes laughed. "So can we do this for real now? A diva is only as fierce as the entire performance."

"True dat," Artie nodded.

"I really need to get out of here soon," the teacher explained. "And I can't leave you kids here alone. I need to lock up." Quinn scoffed in her head. It wasn't like they all hadn't used that room after hours without supervision.

"I'm willing to hang out and practice some more if everybody else is down," Mercedes answered.

"We need a space though," Sam surmised. The group collectively groaned as they all began to gather their things to leave.

Quinn leaned over to her other half and spoke quietly in her ear. "Do you think Antonio would let us use the warehouse during the week; maybe Saturdays and Sundays? I mean would that be okay with you?"

Rachel's eyes went wide and a smile spread across her face. "You are a genius," she said excitedly. "If we weren't here I'd totally kiss you right now."

"So, you owe me," the former blonde chuckled

"Big time," was the answer as the brunette pulled out her cell phone and began her trek into the hall with the others. "Guys give me a minute. We may have a solution," everyone stopped in the hallway, except for Mr. Schue, who chose to lock up the music room and make his leave of the building.

The Jewish girl dialed the number on her cell and then held it up to her ear. "Hey, Antonio….. Yeah I just had a question.… No not that. We have that part all figured out. It's my glee club. We need a rehearsal space…I was wondering if you would mind us using the warehouse… Yes I know I said that but it's getting ridiculous….Possibly Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.…. Cool, thanks; you're the best… Yeah I'll give her a heads up … Thanks again… alright, see you tomorrow, bye." She hung up the phone and declared, "If you're willing to drive a little out of your way we have a place. It's got great acoustics, a lot of space, and even a stage. We can start rehearsing there as soon as tomorrow."

"Yeah, it has everything we need," Quinn added. Santana having long since figured out what the other two were talking about merely nodded, but it was easy to tell that she loved the idea.

"And he says we can use it anytime except for today or any other Fridays. That way we can practice Tuesdays and Thursdays and weekend if we want," said Rachel.

"Who's _he_," Finn asked curiously.

"A friend," Quinn sneered.

"A little man with big money," Santana couldn't stop herself from adding with laughter.

"And before you go and say something stupid," Puck cut in, looking at his sometimes best friend. "No, she isn't dating him. Not that it's your business."

"Whatever," Finn replied.

"But a warehouse," Tina slipped in. "I'm not sure about that."

"Yeah, I mean that sounds kind of dirty and squirrelly," Mike backed up his girlfriend.

"Yeah," Finn tacked on.

"It's really cool," Brittany declared.

"Yeah it's been renovated and shit. From the outside it looks like a warehouse and all but inside….." Santana trailed off.

"It's like a club," Puck added.

Quinn decided to add more to convince them. "Spotlight, DJ Booth and everything. You'll love it."

"What's the name of this club," Mike asked, still on the fence.

"It doesn't really have one," Rachel admitted. "It's more of a college party spot. Dylan's boyfriend owns the building."

Mercedes, Kurt, and Blaine were quick to agree followed by Sam and Artie. Tina and Mike soon relented before a reluctant Finn agreed as well. Rachel vowed to email them all the directions and they decided to meet up at two the next afternoon. In the meantime, Rachel could get ready for the night. She had a show to put on.

As they were heading to Rachel's car Quinn asked, "What are you going to tell them if they ask questions about the warehouse?"

"Other than the fact that I sing in front of a bunch of lesbians there, they already have an idea," was the answer. "If they find out, then they just do. Hopefully they won't make a big deal about it."

* * *

><p>"Welcome back Ladies," Dakota's sleek velvety voice filtered through the speakers and the few of you poor guys that got dragged along. Dakota Blue here bringing the tunes and hooking you up with one of my favorite chicks on earth. You know who she is. Let's welcome her like we always do shall we?" the crowd went to applaud as the songstress began to show herself. She was wearing a long dark blue sequined dress with a slit up to her hip on the right side. The heels she wore were five inches of sexy that matched the aforementioned garment. Rachel's hair was down in loose curls around her face and her bangs were tucked to the side, an orchid gently tucked behind her right ear. Quinn thought she looked like a night club singer from the 1940's.<p>

"So I was in the mood for something slow, smooth, and a little jazzy," she began to speak. "This song is by one of my daddy's favorite singers and he used to blast this song all the time." She smiled and hummed momentary laughter before saying, "As I tend to do, I changed up some of the words to accommodate women of the," she paused, "lady loving kind." She winked at Quinn in the audience. "This song is about the workings of a smooth operator and I do believe we all know at least one."

**She's laughing with another girl  
>And playing with another heart<br>Placing high stakes, making hearts ache  
>She's loved in seven languages<br>Jewel box life diamond nights and ruby lights, high in the sky  
>Heaven help her, when she falls<br>Diamond life, lover girl  
>She move in space with minimum waste and maximum joy<br>City lights and business nights  
>When you require streetcar desire for higher heights<br>**

She managed to make her voice rasp into the mic. She simply stood gently swishing her hips from side to side.

**No place for beginners or sensitive hearts  
>When sentiment is left to chance<br>No place to be ending but somewhere to start **

At this point it looked as if she was going to devour the sound piece in front of her. While making slow and sultry motions as she worked the mic stand. **  
><strong>

**No need to ask**

Rachel swirled her bare leg around the pole, briefly giving them a visual of her bare back before pivoting back around to the other side of it.  
><strong><br>Coast to coast, LA to Chicago, western female  
>Across the north and south, to Key Largo, love for sale<br>**

Quinn was surprised that her girl didn't come down to work the audience. A brush of an arm here and a gentile face graze there seemed like something Rachel would add to engage the crowd.

**Face to face, each classic case  
>We shadow box and double cross<br>Yet need the chase**

**A license to love, insurance to hold**  
><strong>Melts all your memories and change into gold<strong>  
><strong>Her eyes are like angels but her heart is cold<strong>

As Rachel let out one visible tear, Quinn wondered if Rachel was singing about herself in some way. She'd seen Rachel work her magic with her own eyes though she wasn't insecure about that. If Rachel only wanted to play her, they would have both moved on by now. The only people that were any threat would be Farah and Dakota but she believed that they wouldn't do anything to mess up her budding relationship.

**No need to ask  
>She's a smooth operator<br>Smooth operator, smooth operator  
>Smooth operator<strong>

Coast to coast, LA to Chicago, western female  
>Across the north and south, to Key Largo, love for sale<p>

**Smooth operator, smooth operator**  
><strong>Smooth operator, smooth operator<strong>  
><strong>Smooth operator, smooth operator<strong>  
><strong>Smooth operator, smooth operator<strong>  
><strong>Smooth operator, smooth operator<strong>

There were no grandstanding or final words when the group broke into applause. She simply smiled and made her way off the stage. "Beautiful," Quinn said to herself. For some reason her eyes were watering. _My how she hated allergies_.

* * *

><p>Saturday afternoon found the members of New Directions walking into the recently cleaned up warehouse. Rachel, Quinn, Brittany, Santana, and Dakota had already been there. The rest of the group had waited for one another in the parking area before entering the building together.<p>

Puck, Santana and Brittany all had cheeky grins because they were in on something most of the others knew nothing about. Quinn shared the same sentiment but tried to hide it.

"Couldn't keep the kiddies away, huh Ray," the oldest of the group joked.

"Actually it took a bit of convincing," she giggled back.

"Well I called Farah and she said she'll pick up some food for you all, but not to get used to it. They have a lot of stuff left over at the diner from the party they served last night." Before Rachel could open her mouth the DJ added, "and yes, before you bother asking, she got you and me some chickpea curry."

"Cool," was the easy reply. "So thanks for helping us out with the sound system."

"No problem," Dakota shrugged and walked over to her laptop at the DJ booth.

"Everyone accounted for," Quinn asked, ready to start.

"Everyone is here but Finn," Kurt answered, "He said he wasn't feeling well."

Quinn didn't believe that for a second but she didn't care enough to make noise about it. She heard Rachel let out an incredulous grunt but she said nothing about it either.

"Well let's get this show on the road, shall we," the Jewish girl said, motioning her fellow teammates to follow her to the stage. Puck and Mike helped lift Artie and his chair up the small set of steps leading up to the platform.

The theme this year was 'perseverance'. Originally most of the group thought it was way too vague but they enjoyed the songs they were going to perform.

The set list started with Mercedes singing "One Step at a Time" by Jordan Sparks leading into Kurt and Blaine singing a rearranged version of, "When You Believe", and finishing with Aaliyah's "Try Again" as the group number. After a couple of hours of work, Farah showed up and they all decided to take an hour break and eat.

They were all eating on some fold out tables and chairs and Rachel was enjoying her curry next to Quinn, who was quite enamored with the BLT she was consuming. Santana and Brittany sat adjacent to the couple with Farah next to Britt and Dakota next to Rachel. The former Cheerio looked around at the rest of the group and felt a mixture of warmth and annoyance. She liked that they were all getting along. They were all joking and genuinely enjoying each other's company, but she also wasn't sure she liked that they were somewhat being brought into this world that she herself had only been let into recently. It made her feel special that she was one of the few glee kids that got to experience what went on at the warehouse, though she had to go and suggest her stupid idea. Though she still knew more than most of them; well that was about to be short lived.

"So you throw some major parties in this place," Mike asked.

"One a week," Farah answered before taking another bite of curry.

"Why didn't we have your party here last year," Tina asked looking to Rachel.

"We weren't doing parties back then. We didn't start until June," she returned.

"Wait," Tina scrunched her brows together. "You mean you're in on this too. Like, you party with the college kids?"

Santana fell into a full bodied laugh at the look of confusion on the Asian girl's face. Seeing the same off look on the other gleek's faces only made her to laugh even harder. "Oh…my god…." She said through ragged breath and laughter, "You should see your faces….. I mean, I was shocked but…WOW!"

"It's not that funny," Quinn shot at her best friend.

Brittany giggled along her girlfriend. "It really is."

"I figured that you would all put the pieces together after I made that phone call," the little brunette stated.

"Please say you don't wear that ugly thing you call a dress when you're hanging out with a college crowd," Kurt pleaded as he wiped the look of shock off of his face.

"No Kurt," Rachel rolled her eyes. "I reserve that particular bit of fashion just for you," she answered, motioning to the t-shirt and skinny jeans she was sporting.

"What does any of this have to do with glee," Quinn snapped.

"Nothing, we're just curious," the pale boy replied.

"No, you're just nosey," she huffed back.

"Girl, what is wrong with you," Mercedes asked, truly concerned.

Quinn slumped in her seat, realizing that she was behaving a bit irrational. "Nothing," she said. "Sorry, I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night." That had been the truth. She had been up almost all night just watching Rachel sleep; studying her face and the little things she did in her slumbering state. She was up thinking about how Rachel had experienced such intimacy with others, yet hadn't tried anything past making out with Quinn.

Dakota was most likely attempting to break the tension when she said, "Ray, got any ideas for Friday?"

"Either "Let's Give Them Something to Talk About" or "These Boots are Made for Walkin".

"Can you narrow it down by Wednesday," Dakota requested. "I want to make sure I have it arranged just right for Friday."

"I'll let you know by tomorrow. I'm leaning toward 'Boots' because I just got some cute thigh highs and I totally want to work with some fringe."

"And just like that, I'm lost again," Blaine said with a grin.

"Oh, I think you have plenty of company," Mercedes added.

"What did we miss?" Sam asked from beside his girlfriend.

"I'm guessing nothing with those cyclone lips of yours," Santana interjected but it didn't solicit much more than an eye roll from the blonde boy and a similar expression from Mercedes.

"I sing here once a week. It's nothing anyone should be shocked about. I like to sing so that's what I do at the parties," spoke Rachel.

"No wonder you've stopped high jacking all the solos in glee," Mercedes joked. "You've had a solo act since summer."

"And she's damned good," Santana contributed. "Girl is like sex on steroids. They're all just dying to get into those Berry flavored goodies." Quinn blanched.

The others looked a bit skeptical. Artie was the one who actually voiced it. "Rachel Berry? Follow all the rules, Rachel Berry?"

"Oh she is far from that good girl," Santana said proudly.

Quinn glared at her because she was saying a lot and she wasn't sure that Rachel wanted them to know that much, even if it looked like they were all going to find out anyway. "Santana, shut your mouth."

"Shut up Juno," Santana snapped back. "At this point it's inevitable."

"It is," Rachel answered, hoping to placate her girl. "They may as well know."

"Rach makes panties drop when she's on stage here," Brittany supplied happily. "San and I got to spank her on stage for making Santana cry in glee that time."

"Britt," her Latina girlfriend chided, most likely about being called out for crying rather than the spanking thing.

"What," The tall blonde questioned. "It was really sexy….. And the lingerie was like, whoa."

Puck looked almost offended when he said, "What, Rach you were prancing around on stage in lingerie and getting spanked and I wasn't invited to see it? You doing 'Fever' was hot but lingerie?" He looked over to Farah and said, "Please say you recorded it."

"I second that," Artie chimed in.

"One of us records her every week but you'd have to talk to her about watching it," Farah chuckled.

"Come on babe, for me," Puck jutted out his lower lip for effect.

"Not a chance Noah," she returned.

Artie looked at her curiously and said, "Oh I have to see one of these things live."

Santana chuckled at the boy. "Well wheels it's not that kind of party. It's all about ladies who love the ladies. You got me?"

"Puck got to go," Artie tried to reason.

"Dude I got absolutely no play. Apparently it isn't as easy to turn them as pornos make it look."

"Noah must you be so crass," Rachel asked as all the females at the table showed varying degrees of disgust on their faces.

Before he could answer Artie cut in with, "Not even a problem man. Just coming to see the show."

Dakota gave the boy a pointed look and said, "That's assuming we let you and your cute little suspenders in at all."

* * *

><p>Rehearsal had gone quite well and the group had made enormous progress. Rachel had made a deal with the group that if they won Regionals they could come check out her last performance before her two week departure at winter break. They all agreed that they would rehearse at least three additional days a week outside of glee to ensure that they wouldn't suck on stage when it really counted.<p>

Rachel and Quinn were now side by side on the smaller girl's bed pretending to watch some reality show where a group of twenty somethings lived together, drank too much, fought too much, and screwed around a lot. So basically it could have been any number of shows. Either way it was hard to assess the program when the girls were devouring each other's lips.

It was Quinn who ended up sneaking her hand up Rachel's shirt and began to feel around. Rachel quickly took hold of the former blonde's hand removed it from under her shirt. Quinn repeated her earlier action and Rachel soon repeated her own.

"What's the matter," the taller girl looked at Rachel in surprise.

Rachel sighed and said, "We shouldn't do that."

"Why? It isn't like you haven't done this before. I should be the one being all weird about it."

"Are you even ready for that? I mean I know you've come close but Quinn, you haven't actually had sex with a girl."

"Is it so bad that I want you to be the first one? Is there a reason you can hook up with half the Ohio lesbian population but you don't want to have sex with me," Quinn's voice was sharp but her insecurities were shining through. She had begun to wonder if she would be able to keep the other girl interested without going any further.

"That's not it at all," Rachel quickly clarified. "Of course I want you. You're gorgeous inside and out and I feel something for you that goes deeper than my feelings for anyone else."

"Then what's the problem?" Quinn's eyes were beginning to get cloudy and her voice had lost its ferocity.

"I don't just want to fuck you Quinn. You mean more than that. I want it to be different with you. You need to be ready and so do I. I don't want it to be a means to an end for us. It needs to be based off of our feelings."

Quinn may have swooned if it weren't for the fact that even on top of her insecurities, she was horny as hell. Yes she was afraid Rachel would move on if she didn't give it up, but she was looking forward to exploring a sexual relationship with the singer.

"Who says I'm not ready," Quinn asked. "I appreciate all that you just said and it means a lot to me that you wouldn't want to pressure me, but really I've been thinking about this for a while."

"Quinn I…," Rachel was cut off by a familiar ring tone blaring from her side table. She gave an anxious sigh before rolling over and grabbing her phone still screeching Luther Vandross' "Dance With my Father". She clicked the talk button and put the phone to her ear. "Hey Dad," the girl said chirpily. "How are you today? How was dialysis for Daddy today?" there was a fairly long pause before Rachel said, "I'm sure he didn't mean that Dad. He's just tired that's all." Another pause. "Well can't they increase his pain medication? Surely they can give him something more equivalent to his pain."

Rachel's voice began to chip away from a confident upbeat tone to that of a frightened child. Quinn had become suddenly aware that that was exactly what the small brunette was; a scared child wanting her Daddy to hold her and tell her it would all be okay. "They're wrong," she said, obviously trying to hold back any anguish. She was failing at her attempt. "So they just want to give up on him?" She was silent again for what seemed like forever but she'd looked back up from her lap as she heard the light rapping on her door and began to open displaying a crestfallen Lorna, who had tears in her eyes and was clutching her cell phone. "I'm with her now." The tears began to spill from the Jewish girl's eyes. "I love you dad, see you in a couple of days," she hung up.

Before Quinn could open her mouth, Lorna was fast approaching her cousin and embracing her in a tight hug. "Monday morning is our new flight time," the black girl managed out through her sobs. "Six in the morning. We'll go straight to the hospice center from the airport."

Rachel looked over at her girlfriend and quietly said, "Quinn. I'm not going to be able to make it to Sectionals this year." All Quinn could do was add herself to the hug and let her own tears fall. She hadn't even officially met the Berry men but seeing her girlfriend so distraught, broke her heart in ways she never thought possible.

"I'll let the rest of glee know," the former blonde whispered into her ear. "Don't worry about that now, okay. You have more important things to think about." Rachel began to cry even harder.

**So I hope it was okay. I plan to do a bit better for the next chapter but I really owed you guys something after all that time. Please Review, Review, Review. Thanks. **


	12. The Next Life

**Chapter 12/?** : The Next Life

**Fandom:** Glee  
><strong>Pairings: <strong>Rachel Berry /Quinn Fabray Side, Brittany/ Santana Rachel/Other  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 for sexual themes and eventual smutt.  
><strong>Word Length<strong>: 1000+ per chapter.

**Spoilers: **All aired episodes, only a few things from season three as it's AU for the most part.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "Glee" I wish it were so but no such luck so instead I'm writing fanfic for it as the next best thing. I just changed a few things up to fit the situation. I do own the OC's. The song "Hourglass" is by Mindy Gledhill

**My beta is a busy woman so I'm going to post this now and re-upload after she has time to work on it.**

**Thank you to all that reviewed, and added to their alerts and favorites.**

**I also want to thank everyone for wishing me well with my health issues. You are all so sweet. **

**I wish I could write back to the anons that leave such nice reviews but since I can't I'd like to let you know how much I appreciate your kind words.**

**I apologize in advance because some may not be too happy with me at the end of this chapter.**

* * *

><p>Quinn hated this feeling of uselessness. Her girlfriend was forced to travel to Los Angeles two weeks ahead of schedule, only to watch her father lose his life. His body was septic and he wasn't responding to treatment anymore. Quinn wished she could be there for the brunette but there was no way she could. Rachel wouldn't have allowed it even if Quinn had found a way to make it work. She would have insisted the former blonde stay behind and collect all of her assignments for her as well as keeping up with her own studies. She would have demanded that she not let the glee club down because they could spare one member, but they couldn't afford to be left with only eleven members because they wouldn't be allowed to compete.<p>

So Quinn just lay across her bed staring at the picture of Jesus displayed on her bedroom wall thinking of what her girlfriend was going through. "He's a good father," She whispered at the image of the savior. "He loves her. He'd never kick her out or ruin what was left of his family by infidelity. He loves her the way she is, no matter what." A tear spilled from her right eye and made its way down her cheek. "She thinks the sun rises and sets just for him. Why would you take him from her like this?"

She stopped talking and thought about what Rachel had told her on Sunday afternoon.

"_Call me when you land, okay," Quinn had said quietly into the shorter girl's ear. "And anytime you need to talk, no matter what. I don't care if it's three in the morning or during English class, I'll pick up."_

_Rachel nodded to show that she'd heard, then went on to talk in a somewhat of a far off state. "You know when I was six Dad and Daddy would take me for a slushy after I got out of ballet once a week. We'd drink them in the car and sing to the radio as loud as we could. Then we would order in and watch a Disney movie until bath time. I always got grape." She smiled to herself. "Dad always got lime and Daddy always got a mix of blue-raspberry and mango. I thought it was gross, I still do. But Daddy said he liked that it went against the norm and that just because blue-raspberry and mango mixed together wasn't for everyone didn't make it bad." Rachel looked right at her girlfriend. "It took me a few years to see that he was trying to get me to understand that people didn't always understand our family but it didn't make us wrong." Her brown orbs went to her lap now. "The next year I remember asking him why my skin was like Dad but not like his. He laughed and said that god just wanted our family to have some variety. Then he said that it didn't matter if we were different colors because love and respect aren't about that."_

"_It isn't," the punk girl interjected. _

_Rachel didn't acknowledge what Quinn had said but she did say, "Other than the one I had in glee last year, I haven't drunk a slushy since sophomore year. Something about getting them tossed at you almost every day for over two years makes a girl lose her taste for them. But I'll be damned if I don't want one right now. God I just want my fathers to take me to get a slushy and sing with me in the car. I want to tell my Daddy that I want to watch 'The Lion King' again, even if it was the third time that week and listen to him do impersonations of the Hyenas."_

_Quinn could only hold her, even if Rachel wouldn't look at her again. All she could do was keep her tight in her arms for just a little while. _

Quinn was brought out of her memory when her phone began to play a familiar song. She'd put "Fever" as Rachel's ringtone after they had made their relationship official to one another. "Rach," she asked almost panicked. "Hey."

"Hey," the girl on the other end answered. "I just wanted to let you know that we made it back to Dad's apartment. Lorna passed out like ten minutes ago after she talked to Dylan and Erin. I think Erin is planning to come up here. She's taking a little while off from the salon."

"That's good if it will make Lor feel any better. I wish I could be there with you."

"I do too," Rachel admitted. "But you have important things to do at home. I don't trust anyone else to properly get all my school work together and then there is glee and everything. I need you to be my eyes and ears down there. Check in on the girls and everything. I know that they hate that they can't be here too."

"They have each other," Quinn said trying not to sound harsh. "I'm worried about you though. Have you slept any?"

"I got a couple hours this afternoon and I will try again pretty soon," Rachel retorted.

Quinn was reluctant to ask because obviously it had been a hard couple of days but she couldn't stop herself. "Were you able to talk to your Daddy at all?"

"He hasn't been lucid much but he was clear headed enough to talk to me this morning." The singer sounded as if she didn't know whether to be distressed by it or grateful for it.

"Do you want to talk about it," Quinn questioned.

Rachel was silence for about thirty seconds before she started talking about the earlier conversation she had with Leroy that day.

* * *

><p><em>Rachel had just entered the room when Leroy caught a glimpse of his pride and joy. Lorna was with Hiram at the deli around the corner. "There she is," he smiled wide from his hospital bed. He looked so weak and had lost so much weight. His weight had fluctuated through the years due to his Lupus meds, but now he was so frail. "There's my Broadway baby and what a sight she is to this old man." <em>

_His kidneys were failing and dialysis just wasn't doing the trick anymore. She looked over his features noticing the rash on his cheeks and nose. For a dying man he was still pretty talkative, even with the mouth sores he had to endure. His skin was dry and his arms displayed white flaky like patches on it. _

"_Daddy," his daughter sniffled. "You're nowhere near an old man." She went to sit next the dark skinned man who was now reaching his left hand out for her to hold. _

"_Now, now, my little star, don't go arguing with your daddy on his deathbed," he chuckled. _

_Rachel further frowned. "Daddy that isn't funny."_

"_I remember when you thought I was the funniest man around," he returned with a cough to follow. _

"_I thought you were the silliest man around and at the time you weren't joking about leaving me forever," she huffed incredulously but kept her voice soft. _

"_You know I'm not leaving you," he said compassionately. "I'll always be with you, Rachel."_

"_Don't," she replied. "Don't go on about how you'll be in a better place and that we'll be together again because I want you with me." She was getting angry but she still managed to keep her voice in check._

"_Rachel, every time you ride a bike, or watch 'The Lion King'…..Any time you look at 'Funny Girl' or sing loud to the car radio…..honey that will keep me with you. All the stuff we've done together. You, me, and Dad, It'll all stay there with you in your mind and in your heart."_

"_Daddy," she said brokenly. "Can't you fight a little bit more? Fight to stay with us."_

"_It's almost time for me to go, Rach," the man said in a serious no nonsense tone. "You've always been so small my beautiful girl; so tiny. I just wanted to protect you from all the evil in the world but goodness you are so strong. Rachel you are my strength, mine and your Dad's." He looked into his child's chocolate orbs. "You gotta keep strong for Dad okay. It's okay to be sad. Take some time to mourn but don't let Dad lose himself okay. Keep him in line the way only you can. Make sure Lorna doesn't hide like she did when you're aunt died. Most importantly, don't hide your own pain, but don't wallow in it."_

"_Daddy I can't handle all that."_

"_You can do anything. I knew from the moment I heard you scream your lungs out after you were born. You were six weeks premature but you still fought like hell to stay on this earth. Your voice was meant for great things from the moment you were born. You are a fighter Rachel Barbra Berry." He squeezed her hand and gave her a faint smile. "You have people that love you and they will be there for you. You let them do that for you little girl. You let them help you the same way you help them. This is going to be hard on all of my girls and you will need to count on each other."_

"_Okay Daddy," she whispered into his ear before planting a kiss on his cheek._

"_Oh, and tell Noah if he doesn't get a diploma and at least plant his butt in a community college, he'll be on my list for eternity." _

"_Sure Daddy."_

"_Sing me something pretty, little girl," he said quietly "Hows about you sing that one about the hourglass? You know the one." She knew the one. He had played it for her after hearing it randomly in a music store the year prior. It made him think of his daughter when she was merely a little thing bouncing around the house. He'd rearranged it so that he could sing it to her on her birthday and she had become misty-eyed from the mere sentiment. He was terribly off key but out of all the time she had been serenaded by the opposite sex, this one was her favorite. _

_Her lips parted and she began to sing….._

_**Little girl, when you speak  
>I can't help but kiss your cheeks<br>I love the way you grab my hands  
>And tell me all about your plans<br>**_

_Her voice was cracking and her face was damp from the hot tears. But she held on to her Daddy's hand and steadily rocked from side to side in her chair._

_**Rocket high, comets fly  
>You and I could take a ride<br>And fly away to Neverland  
>And give our best to Peter Pan <strong>_

_His deep yet withering voice began to mingle with her own as she remembered building forts in the living room on Sunday afternoons. Thoughts of kisses to the forehead and looks of adoration from this man throughout the years flashed through her mind._

**When you reach for the stars**  
><strong>Don't forget who you are<strong>  
><strong>And please don't turn around and grow up way too fast<strong>  
><strong>See the sand in my grasp<strong>  
><strong>From the first to the last<strong>  
><strong>Every grain becomes a memory of the past<strong>  
><strong>Oh, life's an hourglass<strong>  
><strong>Life's an hourglass<strong>

_Cooking in the kitchen together and chastising him for eating a poor defenseless chicken in her presence. 'Stupid bird,' she thought. 'Why didn't I just let him eat in peace?' _

**Story's read, prayer is said**  
><strong>Close your eyes sleepyhead<strong>  
><strong>While angels linger in your dreams<strong>  
><strong>And hold you in their feathered wings<strong>  
><strong>Just like you, I was small<strong>  
><strong>Not that long ago at all<strong>  
><strong>I wish you all the happiness<strong>  
><strong>That God gives freely if you ask<strong>

_He'd stopped singing along because as usual he began to get winded._

_**When you reach for the stars  
>Don't forget who you are<br>And please don't turn around and grow up way too fast  
>See the sand in my grasp<br>From the first to the last  
>Every grain becomes a memory of the past<br>Oh, life's an hourglass  
>Life's an hourglass<strong>_

_He was smiling when she had finished. He blinked heavily at her still keeping his grin in place. "That was so nice. It reminds me of my little Rachie Bear. She's a tiny little thing but she's so feisty. Loves to sing too. She's my very own Broadway baby. Maybe when she gets here you could meet her. My husband went to get from dance class. Seven years old, that girl and she's already proving she's a star. You'll see miss. One day you'll see Rachel Barbra Berry all over the place and you can tell everyone that you met when she was just a little girl." Pride shown all over his face and while Rachel loved hearing how proud he was of her, even back then, though it tore her apart to know that he didn't realize that she was the very daughter that he was gushing over._

"_I'll bet she loves you very much," Rachel responded. "I bet she thinks you're one of the two best men in the whole wide world."_

"_Nah, I'm just her Daddy. She'll forget all about her old man when she falls in love with some guy that my husband and I will no doubt find deplorable," he let out a faint laugh. _

"_Never," she said with assurance._

"_Let's hope not," the black man returned. "May I ask what your name is? You look quite familiar."_

"_I'm…," she' opened her mouth. She wanted to say 'Daddy it's me. It's your little girl,' but she was interrupted when he said,_

"_Shelby? I thought we agreed that you would stay away until Rachel was old enough to understand. I'll always love you for the gift you gave to Hiram and me but you can't go back on a contract. When she's a little older okay? Then you can reach out to her but right now your presence will only confuse her and upset my husband." He began a coughing fit, which caused her to quickly grab the cup of water by his bed and urge him to sip from the straw. When she saw the blood on the straw as it left his mouth she swiped a tissue from the box sitting on the same side table and wiped his mouth. _

"_I'll just let you rest," Rachel said shakily before releasing his hand and making her way out of his room. She was so thirsty and right now she needed a huge glass of water._

"Between the sepsis and the morphine…..he just…he's been out of It ever since," The songstress sobbed into the phone.

"Oh Rach," Quinn said sullenly, "Oh honey I am so sorry."

"So am I," the other girl responded. "I'm going to try and get some sleep. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"By baby."

* * *

><p>The glee club nervously stood on stage holding their breaths. Waiting for the results of competition never got any easier. They had continued practicing even in Rachel's absence and gave it their all during their performance. They worked hard and now they were waiting to see if it all been a success.<p>

Quinn was elsewhere in her mind. She just wanted to get this over with. As soon as this thing was over she was going to go home and grab her previously packed bag so that she could head off to the Berry home. Leroy was still holding on two weeks later but it was looking worse and worse every day. Hearing Rachel's broken tone over the phone had only made her determined to be there for her in person as soon as possible.

Her mother wasn't happy about the fact that Quinn wanted to go to California over Winter break, but the former blonde was eighteen and had promised to be home before Christmas Eve. Her "friend" needed her and she was going to be by her side as she went through this difficult time. Judy eventually thought better of protesting too much after hearing about Rachel's situation. She thought it was a time for family but Quinn assured her that Rachel had become a very close friend to her.

Antonito loaned Dakota, Farah, and Quinn the money for plane tickets and flat out bought Dylan's for her. They had all decided that their place was in L.A. for now and the day after Sectionals they would head out that way. Puck Santana and Brittany wanted to go as well, but they had family obligations that wouldn't allow it.

When the pink-haired girl heard New Direction being announced as the first place winners, she'd barely acknowledged it. She gave a simple smile and a half-hearted hug to Santana, who was at her left side. They all knew what was going on. It had seemed pretty obvious. Even if Quinn hadn't confirmed, they all figured the brunette songbird's absence probably had to do with her father and it put a bit of a dark cloud over all of them. But they had to give their all. Rachel wanted them to, so they did.

There was no after party, merely pats on the back and congratulations all around. Things were awkward and they just wanted to be done with the day. So Quinn scurried home and went to hang out with the Berry house girls until their flight the next morning.

* * *

><p>Quinn had held her girlfriend for a good thirty minutes once she got a hold on her. Rachel didn't cry but she melted into the punk girl with everything she had. When everyone else was in the room with Leroy, Quinn had opted to stay clear and hang with Erin. It was a moment among family and she didn't really know the man. But when everyone cleared out for lunch, she found herself lacing fingers with the tiny brunette and being dragged into the man's room.<p>

"Rach, you should get something to eat too," Quinn tried to reason.

"I'm not hungry," she said petulantly. Then having realized the way she sounded she said, "But I have a muffin in my purse if I do get hungry."

Leroy smiled at the light bickering between the two girls. 'She's back," he said as light heartily as he could in his fragile state. "And she brings along a pretty girl and with a head full of cotton candy too."

"Daddy, that isn't very nice," Rachel chided.

"Oh she knows I'm just playing around," he replied. He darted his eyes back to the other girl. "Don't you Miss…?"

"Fabray, sir," Quinn said nervously. "Quinn Fabray. We haven't officially met."

"No we haven't," a distraught Hiram said from his seat next to his husband of twenty two years. "I'm Hiram Berry," he said trying to mask just how torn down he was. "And this handsome man in the bed here is my husband Leroy."

"I am anything but handsome right now, babe," Leroy protested, still smiling.

"Nonsense," Hiram dismissed. "I still see the same arrogant jock I fell for in college; the one who stalked me all over campus until I agreed to go on a coffee date with him." A look of wonder crossed Hiram's face. Then he looked to his daughter. "Do you know your daddy kissed me in front of everyone after a big win at a football game? I could have killed him. I wasn't even out to most to my friends at that point."

"Well I told you if we won I'd do it. It's your own fault for doubting me," Leroy looked to his partner fondly.

Rachel grinned at the easiness of her parents showing affection in such a way after so many years and under such devastating circumstances. Quinn felt the warmth of the couple spread to her. Even now they still managed to look at each other like that.

"It was sweet of you to come and be here for our Rachie bear," Hiram addressed to the former Cheerio. "Especially it being the holidays and all."

"I missed her a lot," the returned truthfully.

"I didn't know you and our daughter were so close," the Jewish man smirked.

"Well that is a resent development, Dad."

"I see."

"Sweetie, stop prying," the black father said from his bed. Quinn's shoulders relaxed as she saw Hiram visibly retreat at his husbands command. "If they don't want to tell us they're dating then we should give them that respect."

Both girls stiffened at the comment. "Daddy…"

Quinn cut her off before she herself even knew what she was saying. "I'm kind of in love with her." After realizing what she had just said her own eyes went wide and she suddenly couldn't breathe. "O…god….did I just….Oh god."

"Yes hun, I'm pretty sure god heard you as well as we did," the shorter of the two men tried to joke.

Rachel turned all kinds of crimson at what was going on around her. "I guess you have no choice but to be there for her from now on," the dark man giggled softly. "If you don't I will come back and haunt the hell out of you."

"Not funny, Daddy," Rachel said as she looked to her stunned girlfriend.

Leroy looked to his partner for backup but was only met with the words, "Don't look at me. I hardly found that amusing either."

"Oh you two need to remember to smile," he said tiredly. "Now come here Miss Quinn. The eyes aren't working so well these days and I want to get a good look at you."

* * *

><p>He died four days before Christmas; his niece and daughter sitting on the couch half asleep up against one another, while his husband held his hand, also catching a few zee's. They had awoken to the heart monitor incessant blathering. Quinn had been down the hall with Dakota and Erin sipping at cups of hot beverages, while Farah and Dylan were in the restroom. She heard Rachel's screech all the way down the corridor and she knew instantly that he was gone. Leroy Berry had departed this earth, leaving behind anguished loved ones and there was nothing Quinn could do to fix this.<p>

Rachel barely talked to her, or anybody else but Lorna for that matter. Lorna let Dylan and Erin hold her hand but she only really spoke with her cousin and uncle. Hiram had sent them all back the day before Christmas Eve but he stayed behind to make arrangements for his husband's body to be sent back to Lima. Leroy's family had only consisted of his parents and sister, who had all since passed, and his niece, Lorna so there was nobody to call on that end. His own family failed to acknowledge him after his phase had become a marriage years ago so there was nothing there either. There were only calls to friends to make

They had the funeral three days after the new year due to the holiday. Quinn hated to have to be parted from her girlfriend on Christmas Eve and the day of, but as soon as she could get away she was right by Rachel's side.

2012 was met with sadness and tears among friends and those who were considered family. Rachel couldn't bring herself to sing, instead requesting that Mercedes sing "I'll Fly Away" as they lowered the mahogany casket that now housed her daddy's body into the ground.

The former HBIC watched as her girlfriend looked at the motion with a blank expression, all the while her surviving father mirrored her expression as his husband was laid to rest.

An hour prior had been filled with anecdotes and stories from college and high school buddies. Old colleagues talked about his work ethic at his law-firm, and there was even an old girlfriend that joked about how the best man she ever knew turned out to be gay and how she still hadn't forgiven the universe for not sending her a straight version of him.

Farah and Lorna were the only of the girls to speak. Lorna talked about how she didn't have a father in her life but she had always had Leroy and Hiram as dads in a way. Even living separately, they had always been there for her. Leroy had even managed to escort her to a father/ daughter dance a few years prior.

* * *

><p>Farah had also found a father in Leroy as well as his partner. When her own parents let her down, they were there to pick her back up and remind her of her worth.<p>

She hadn't cared that her mother was in the building, lurking in the back pew. This wasn't about tearing the woman down, but it wasn't about her feelings either. "Leroy and Hiram turned out to be the best parents I could have dreamed of. They loved me and took care of me when my own parents couldn't find it in them to do so themselves. They knew that I was and always would be flawed, yet never judged me." The woman stared straight at Farah and watched the child she birthed into the world be embraced by Dakota and led back to her seat, then she removed herself from the service.

* * *

><p>Puck too had stood up for a brief speech. He talked about how when he was nine and Rachel was eight, they had decided to toss a football around in the Berry's front yard. Neither of the kids was very good but Puck swore he was going to be the best football player known to man. Rachel had always fed into his ego and told him she believed him, even when he'd fumble the ball or failed to throw it correctly.<p>

That particular day Puck told Rachel to try to tackle him and she had done as requested. When he'd felt her jump on his back he threw the football in a random direction. The sound of something breaking was unmistakable but Puck was more invested in the fact that Rachel had managed to turn him on his back and keep him on the ground. She had been proud of herself even though the pair was bound to get in trouble very shortly.

"_Gotcha," she had laughed from her position above him._

"_Rach get off," he'd wined at her._

"_Not until you admit I'm the best," she joked at her friend. _

"_You're a girl," he said back. "You can't be the best. You don't even like football that much."_

"_I'm the best because I am a girl, duh," she fussed back. "Now say it."_

"_No, and if you don't get off I'll kiss you and give you all my coodies."_

"_Really, Noah, you still believe in coodies," she asked back._

_Puck didn't answer. He just laid one on her nose, causing her to shriek and throw herself off of him, but not before she punched his arm._

_Leroy had managed to pull up in the driveway just in time to see the boy plant one on his daughter and laughed at the girl's reaction. It took him a moment to notice that his porch plant was now a mess of potting soil, sprouting roots, and broken pottery on the front porch. Puck admitted he had been the one to do it._

"I didn't think I was gonna live to see ten," Puck smiled fondly from where he stood at the podium. "But instead of getting mad he tells me that after we cleaned up the mess, I had better be ready to learn how to throw a football correctly because he was going to drill it into my head as long as it took. He had me tossing the ball for the rest of the summer." Puck's eyes were red but the tears weren't spilling over. "He also told me to keep my lips off his daughter." Most of the glee club had giggled at that because they all knew that the warning obviously hadn't stuck.

"I was a misfit and my dad bailed so I didn't have…like, that guy around. Hiram was great too but Leroy taught me all that sports stuff. He was the one who watched the games with me and showed up at my pop warner games and stuff. Even when I stopped coming around he would pop up at school game sometimes. So yeah, I was lucky to have him around. I just wish I'd kept coming around, y'know, make him proud and what not." Quinn could see regret in the boys eyes before he returned to his seat. She felt for him too in that moment. He'd lost more than most of his friends ever knew.

That's the moment she understood the bond he shared with Rachel. They had had this whole other life, it seemed and it had been tainted by stupid children's politics and ultimatums. He'd lost a family in the Berrys and before he was able to rectify it, one of them had become so sick that it was debilitating and now he was gone.

* * *

><p>The reception after the burial was held at the community center where Leroy used to volunteer often. All the girls had prepared something and the diner that Farah worked at catered much of the event. Everything from kosher to soul food was represented along with obvious vegan options.<p>

Quinn had been worried about Rachel's lack of expression. She hadn't talked about her pain so when she wasn't shedding tears she was quiet, speaking as little as possible. The shit hit the fan when a man name Eli Goldman approached the little diva, standing with her girls and glee-mates. She began to fidget with the long sleeves of her black dress as he neared her personal space.

"I cannot express to you how sorry I am for your loss," the bald man said with empathy in his tone. "Leroy was a good man and he will be missed."

Rachel's face immediately went from blank to furious as she screamed, "You never gave a shit about my daddy you prick."

"Rach," Lorna began, putting a hand on the other girl's shoulder as the man looked on in shock at the small, normally well-mannered young woman.

"No," the angry brunette screeched, shrugging her cousin off of her. "You never had a nice thing to say about him when he was alive but now you care? Other than to wish him luck in his treatment…." She put up her pointer finger, "_**ONE**_ time, you have always either just ignored him or ranted about how sick he was for being in love with my father."

Quinn tried to grab hold of the smaller girl but she wasn't having it. "Don't touch me Quinn," she hissed.

Quinn's heart sank at the words but now Hiram, who had been in his own head spoke up. "Sweetheart…"

"No dad," she shot. She looked dead into the bald man's eyes and said in a low voice, "What, nothing to say? You used to have plenty to say, remember? Tell them. Tell them how you used to berate him. How you used to tell him that our family was wrong and had no place in Temple." He was frozen in place. "Let me tell you something, buddy. Leroy James Maloney-Berry was 100 times the man you will ever be so you can take your little fake sympathy and shove it up your judgmental hypocritical ass!" Dylan looked immediately distressed by the information but a touch from Lorna managed to at least calm her down enough to remain silent.

Puck was the one to envelope her in his arms while the rest of the room looked on in shock. "I got you," he said quietly to the girl as she relaxed into him.

Santana being well….., Santana made a shoo motion at the man and hissed, "Now would be the time where you run out of here with your tail between your legs." Brittany copied her girlfriend's motions as well but stayed silent in an attempted not to cry. He still stood frozen.

"Go on, get outa here," Farah nearly growled, pointing at the exit. At that Eli complied quickly.

Hiram seemed to shrink back into himself at the sight of his daughter being comforted. He had been distant to everyone and still refused to go back in the house. He'd been staying at the Hilton since his return and any talk of holiday celebration was quashed where the family was concerned. Dakota would make sure he was eating every day, while Quinn and Farah did the same for Rachel. Dylan, of course, had been on Lorna duty with a little help from Erin.

Puck just led the girl into an empty room. Quinn followed regardless of her hurt feelings. The three of them stood in quiet for a good few minutes before out of nowhere the brunette seemed to be hit by a ton of bricks.

"Oh my god, what did I just do," she gasped. "I caused a scene. Dad must be so embarrassed."

"It's cool, babe," Puck spoke up. "They all understand you're hurting."

"But…"

"Rach it'll be fine," the ex-cheerleader tried to comfort.

Rachel gasped for a second time. "Oh god Quinn, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. He just made me so mad. Hearing that asshole pretend like he was some kind of _friend_ to my daddy and he was so far from it. God I'm so sorry I did that to you."

Quinn went over and nudged Puck off of the other girl so that she could put her arms around her. "It's okay. I understand alright. Just let me be here for you."

"I just want my daddy back," the Jewish girl whispered. "I spent all this time here and I should have gone to L.A. with him. I shouldn't have been here having fun and wasting all that time."

"Hey, hey," Quinn shushed her. "He wanted you to have fun. He didn't want you to see him suffer through all of that." Rachel stiffened at the taller girl's word and Quinn didn't know if her girl was going to protest, but she didn't give her any time to because she soon added, "And before you start getting all indignant and saying that I didn't know him well enough to know that; I should tell you that Farah also told me that he told you that that was what he wanted for you."

"I just want my daddy back," Rachel repeated.

Puck looked on with his own tears in his eyes for a few more minutes, before kissing Rachel on her right temple and retreating from the room.

"I'm so thirsty," she continued. "So, so thirsty."

"I'll get it." Quinn may not have been able to bring her girlfriend's Daddy back, but she could sure as hell get her a glass of water.

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah so this was depressing but there will be good times ahead. I hope I did Leroy some justice though. I'm still working on Hiram but right now he's dealing with his own suffering and is much like his daughter in the distant way she's dealing with everything. <strong>

**As always I'd love your feedback and by now you know I'm a bit of a review whore. I went through withdrawals while I was out of the writing game but now I've totally relapsed and I'm craving a fix like crazy. **


	13. I'd Rather Be Making Love

**Title:** When Secrets Come Out to Play

**Chapter 13/? :** I'd Rather Be Making Love

**Fandom:** Glee  
><strong>Pairings: <strong>Rachel Berry /Quinn Fabray Side Brittany/ Santana Rachel/Others  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 for sexual themes and eventual smutt.  
><strong>Word Length<strong>: 1000+ per chapter.  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Quinn puts her quest to find herself on hold in order to figure out the suddenly more mysterious Rachel Berry. She soon finds that there is more to the little brunette than she ever thought possible. Perhaps she'll even figure herself out on the anyway. Punk!Quinn Semi-Baddass!Rachel.

**Spoilers: **All aired episodes, only a few things from season three as it's AU for the most part.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "Glee". Turns out Ryan Murphy and Fox do. If I did own it I would have a lot more money, it would be an even bigger gay love fest and Quinn would come out because I am convinced she's a lesbian.

**Thanks for all the continued alerts, faves, and great reviews. Your support, despite my inconsistent posting, is astounding and very much appreciated**.

**Thanks to t8kmybreathaway/LadyHawke69 for doing some great beta work. I don't make it easy.**

**WARNING: So this chapter will have some Faberry loving. While I think I'm pretty decent at smutt, I am not that great with "making love" types of sense. I tend to rely on certain things when it comes to smutt but when writing the first time love scenes I kind of stray from that stuff so, sorry for that. On the upside if you follow my one-shots of "When a Berry and Cheerios Collide" I have been inspires and am almost done with the sixth one-shot so it should be up in around a week or two. **

**Okay, so onward...**

* * *

><p>It had been three weeks since the funeral and Rachel had done a complete 180. The day after the funeral she had managed to slap a smile across her face and she seemed to have gone back to business as usual. Hiram was still staying in the hotel, though he had managed to come to the house for dinner a couple of times upon his daughter and niece's requests. Rachel focused in glee, not quite the control freak of old but not exactly lax either.<p>

The situation had proven to Rachel and Quinn that even through snarky comments and rude behavior, the group could really be there for one another. Quinn had learned that during her pregnancy but this was the first real instance when the club as a whole was there for the Jewish girl. The closest thing they had come to before was after the egging incident and then it had been the boys and their egos that led the need for revenge, not their general concern for the diva's wellbeing.

Even Finn had managed to reign in his unintentional douchbagerry enough to genuinely be there for Rachel. Despite the past, he really did care for Rachel and even Quinn had to admit that he had been the first person to see past Rachel's craziness and really give her half a chance. At that point in time Puck had yet to reclaim his friendship with the tiny brunette and she had been all alone within the walls of McKinley. Quinn still couldn't stand him but she was willing to recognize his efforts.

They had thrown a party the week prior as an attempted to regain some normalcy but Rachel had sweetly declined to sing because she had too many other things to attend to. Quinn might have actually believed that her girlfriend was okay if it hadn't been for the girl's excessive need to drink water all the time.

Puck had been the one to clue Quinn on what that meant. Before Leroy had even passed, the boy had explained that the Berry men used to bring Rachel a glass of water whenever she was sad when she was younger.

The former blonde wanted to do something for her girl and she was hoping to start with Rachel's birthday. She had gone to Lorna for advice regarding the event and was met with a hopeful attitude. Lorna wanted her cousin to have some real happiness and not the faked version she had recently been sharing with them.

They had decided to do it at the Warehouse on Saturday though Rachel's Birthday had been the Thursday before. The girl had spent the evening with her Dad Hiram at his hotel and had dinner with him at New Eden. She had told Quinn that her dad looked lost but he was trying to keep it together for her sake. The former cheerleader couldn't help but think that it was an attribute that ran through the family because Rachel was attempting the same thing.

The party was going to be a fairly private affair. The glee club and the Berry house girls along with their significant others were to be the only ones in attendance. Well they and Antonio's little sister, who was still on break from her boarding school in Ireland, along with her boyfriend who had come to the states to visit during his own vacation.

Rory was a nice enough kid so nobody really minded. As for Sugar well, she was a character in her own right. Aside from being a Motta and the same height as her older brother, the siblings had little in common. Antonio was reserved and a self-proclaimed nerd, who had a thing for comics and videogames, while his sister was a self-entitled, bubbly person who had a tendency to say what was on her mind only to soften the blow by claiming to have Asperger's. She was kind of a hybrid of Brittany and Santana in Quinn's opinion, which made it kind of hard not to find the girl endearing.

* * *

><p>Rachel smiled and made her rounds to greet all of the guests while Quinn stood by keeping an eye on her. Antonio was having a discussion with his younger sister nearby and the conversation between the two somewhat tickled her.<p>

"Sugar, you're not drinking any of the booze," Antonio grumbled into his sister's ear. "No drinking for you at all."

"Oh come on Tony," the girl said sweetly. "Just one drink. Everyone else is drinking but me."

"Rory isn't."

"Okay, everyone but us then. It's not fair."

"Look, you're only here because dad said I had to keep an eye on you while you were home. You two are the youngest here," was returned.

"I'm in high school the same as most of the people here."

"No."

"That's not fair," she wined.

"Pretty sure you already said that."

"Why don't we go dance," Rory interrupted the duo, his Irish brogue thick.

"Oh I'd love to," she smiled at the boy before adding, "And later I can sing a special song for the birthday girl."

"Uh, maybe you shouldn't do that," Antonio said nervously. "I mean we don't want all the attention on you when it's her birthday after all," he tried to cover when he saw his sister's indignant facial expression.

"You're probably right," Sugar said after giving it a few seconds of thought. "I'm sure she's already insecure with that beak on her face and I don't want to show her up at her own party. That would just be inconsiderate."

"Watch what you say," The short man scolded her.

"Sorry bro. You know how my Asperger's makes me say things."

"Until a doctor diagnosis you with it I won't play into that. And make sure you watch what you say around here because I'm not gonna save you when one of those girls gets a wild hair up their butt and goes off on you for saying stuff like that."

"Fine, fine," the girl droned. "Come on Rory, let's go dance," she added as she lead the Irish boy to the dance floor.

Quinn chuckled from her spot as the two younger teens left.

"She's a piece of work, that one," Antonio chuckled as well. "She's a good girl though."

"She's funny. I like her," Quinn assured.

"She can be really sweet but sometimes she overcompensates and it comes off as insensitive," he admitted.

"Who's insensitive," Dylan asked, encircling her arms around her boyfriend.

"Sugar," the shorter man smiled.

"She's a cute kid," Dylan confirmed. "But if she wants to be a bitch she needs to own the crap that she says. I'd respect her a lot more."

"Maybe you and Santana can give her some pointers," the pink-haired girl joked.

"You have a point there. But you could probably teach the girl a thing or two as well," Dylan jested back.

"There you are," Rachel came up excitedly grabbing hold of Quinn's hand. They hadn't officially told the gleeks yet but most of them had an idea that the girls were more than just friends. "This is really nice guys. Thanks," she said though she was staring intently at Quinn.

"It's your birthday, Rach. It should be special," the ex-cheerleader said smiling at her smaller girlfriend.

"And now I don't have to feel so bad about corrupting you since you aren't a minor anymore," Dylan laughed.

"I hardly think you have corrupted me," Rachel huffed.

"Oh I know I had plenty of help, what with Farah and Dakota. I got Lorna all on my own though," she answered, still giggling.

"My cousin is not corrupted," the small brunette stated.

"Yeah, that's what she'd like you to believe. That girl is hardly innocent," Dylan chuckled. "Trust me I walked in on her and Erin a while back and let's just say when there are fuzzy purple handcuffs involved, all semblances of innocence flies out the window."

"D, that's my cousin you're talking about," Rachel playfully hissed.

"Yeah, well then we're both scarred for life," the blonde jested. "Anyway, baby," she directed her attention back to her boyfriend, "Mike, Sam, Puck, Finn, and Artie are having this big discussion about Marvel vs. DC or something. Then there was talk about some videogame that involves dead bodies and guns so I thought you might want to go throw your two cense in."

"How the hell is that even a contest? They're both cool but Marvel will make DC its bitch every time," the man said as if to be offended.

"Yeah, this is me not really caring, babe. Why don't you scamper off and share the wisdom with the other boys on the playground."

"Yeah, I better go educate these kids before they go out into the real world with the wrong info," Antonio said seriously.

"The real world? Oh my god they're freakin comic books," Dylan sassed in reply with an eye roll as her boyfriend made his way to the small group of boys.

"Boys," Quinn said with mock annoyance. "Glad I'm not stuck dating them." She winked at the smaller brunette.

"You aren't slick Quinn Fabray," Rachel chided. "I know the secret nerd in you is itching to get in on that conversation."

Quinn's cheeks grew red from being called out on her secret love of comics. Sam was the only boyfriend she had that really knew about it and she would berate him into reining his own nerd complex the best she could when in public. The two could have been siblings in another life and it probably would have made much more since than them dating in this one. Sure they had been the high school cliché' couple but that had kind of been the point of them getting together in the first place.

"Really Pinky Lee," Dylan smirked. "I never would have guessed."

"Quinn sent a playful glair to her girlfriend who said, "Go on and tell them how it really is."

"Be back soon," Quinn said feeling a little too giddy about it. She kissed Rachel's cheek and went to approach the group of boys.

"Dude, Marvel super heroes are the shit, all day every day," Sam said with conviction.

"Naw, man, I'm telling you DC kicks ass all the way down the line," Finn replied.

"I gotta say boys," Quinn said with a grin. "Marvel will always reign supreme."

"What is this 'Iron chef America' or something," Mike spoke up at Quinn's comment. With eyes almost as in shocked as the other guys, minus Sam. "DC for the win."

"Yeah. I mean how the fuck do you go up against a hot babe like Wonder woman, The Flash and my man Superman. He's SUPERMAN for cryin out loud!" This was Puck.

"Iron Man, the Hulk, Spiderman and firkin Wolverine; that's how," Antonio fussed.

"I wouldn't mind seeing a chick fight between Storm and Wonder Woman though," Puck said dreamily.

"Pig," Quinn shot at him.

"Oink," he retorted.

"Anyway, as the oldest person in this room, I need to educate you on a few things," Antonio began. "They're both badass but the X-Men could tare Superman into pieces. That's just the way it is. There is no way around it fellas."

Quinn cleared her throat in mild rebellion. "And the very sophisticated lady that knows her comic books."

"Okay, old man," Quinn joked.

"I'm only twenty three," he huffed back.

"Hey you're the one that keeps bringing up the fact that you're older than the rest of us," she laughed. "Anyway I think I have made my point so I'm going to head back to our girls."

"I'll be back over in a bit. I still have a lot to say about this."

"I'll bet you do," Quinn said with a light slap to the man's back before making her way to the group her girlfriend was in. Lorna, Dylan and Rachel were talking adamantly as she approached.

"You're such a chicken shit, love," Dylan declared at Rachel's cousin.

"I am not. I'm just not willing to throw those words around all willy nilly."

Dylan furrowed her brow and said, "I would have agreed with you a couple of years ago, hell maybe even last year but you have got to be kidding me."

"You're supposed to have my back in this," Lorna said pointedly.

"Baby, I always have your back, even if it means keeping from screwing yourself over," Dylan assured.

"Leave the girl alone," Rachel grumbled. "If she isn't ready to say it then she just isn't."

"Please, you only believe that because you're just as chicken shit as her," the blonde trans girl stated, raising both her brows in challenge.

"I am not."

"What's going on over here," Quinn finally questioned when she realized her presence was not likely to go unnoticed for much longer.

"Lorna's all freaked out because Erin said she loved her and she's afraid to say it back. Sharon fucked her brain up or something," Dylan snarked.

"Fuck you," Lorna playfully shrieked. "As I recall, before Antonio came along you were a hell of a lot worse than me."

"But I'm not now am I? Seems I'm better off than you," Dylan said off handedly. "You know what, hold my cup," Dylan handed over her drink to the pink-haired girl before she started fiddling with her belt buckle.

"What the hell are you doing," Rachel quietly hissed, hoping not to gain attention from the rest of the room.

"I'm trying to figure out the least painful way to get rid of my balls because I don't want 'em but apparently you two could use a pair. Maybe I can give you each one and you both can put your big girl panties on and woman up already." Dylan let go of her buckle and eyed the other three girls. "What, no takers? Well that's a damn shame." She winked and gave a devilish little glair. "If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go drag my little nerd to the dance floor and then tell him 'I LOVE YOU' over and over again." She mocked as she grabbed her drink back and like that the girl was going to get her man.

"Okay," Quinn said hesitantly. "That was…"

"Dylan," Lorna cut in. "That was Dylan being Dylan's crazy self. As for the last comment, she's drinking quite a bit. Give her a few more and she'll be telling us all how much she loves us repeatedly. Hell, I'll bet cash that she tells me more than she even tells her man," the older cousin laughed.

"She's a fellow clingy drunk," the brunette songstress confirmed to her girlfriend. "You haven't quite seen her wasted yet."

"Yes she is. Excuse me while I go explain to Mr. Puckerman that that is not an invitation," Lorna said lightly.

"He wouldn't do that, besides her boyfriend is here so he couldn't if he wanted to," Rachel defended.

"And I don't think he really gets the whole transgendered thing," Quinn added.

"I just want to make sure there are no misunderstandings. He seems the type to like soft pretty things with attitude and Dylan is all of those." Lorna smiled. "Then I think I'm going to go get my lady and do some dancing.

"Have fun," Rachel beamed as her cousin left.

"I really don't think Puck would do what she's thinking," the former cheerleader said. "I mean didn't she know him growing up at all. Didn't you say she used to come up for the summer back when you and Puck were besties?"

"Yeah. They met here and there but Lor was always at D's so she and Noah didn't really interact. He barely remembers her from back then," Rachel replied.

"Oh. Okay."

"She likes Noah. She just worries a lot. It doesn't help that she knows he got you drunk and took your virginity and didn't even bother to protect you."

Quinn was a little shocked. Nobody had really been upset on her behalf when it came to Beth's conception. Oh sure, plenty of people had been upset; her parents, Finn, his mom, Puck's mother, to an extent Santana because she was his somewhat girlfriend at the time. But in the end they were all mad on their own behalf. Nobody really seemed to take into an account that while she was responsible as well, she had been somewhat taken advantage of and lied to. And while she would always love him for fathering Beth, she still had some anger towards him for the way it all happened.

"We all knew you had been drinking, but Noah told me the rest. I confided in Lorna. Dylan probably knows but won't say anything because she won't repeat anything Lorna tells her not to," Rachel said tentatively. "I slapped him a few times if it makes you feel any better."

Quinn outwardly laughed at the ending statement. "Thanks for that. It does make me feel the tiniest bit better."

"So um…..I've been meaning to tell you some things. Maybe after the party we can talk. Just you and me," Rachel suggested.

"Yeah, sure," Quinn said back. "So do you think maybe you want to dance a little?"

"Sure."

When they got to the dance area they were bombarded with Brittany having a very serious discussion with young Rory and Sugar. "I'm telling you Rory, if you don't learn to speak English people will find out you're a leprechaun and they'll start chasing after you like they do on the Lucky Charms commercials. I mean you're taller but you don't hide it very well."

"Um, my boyfriend is not a leprechaun," Sugar said to Brittany, though with no malice because the look Santana had shot her even made her tread lightly.

"Don't worry, we'll keep his secret. I mean I'm sure he came here to escape the tyranny against his people," Brittany answered leaving a gaping Quinn, Rory, and Sugar. They were more shocked that the blonde not only knew the word tyranny but used it correctly in a sentence.

Santana gave a smug smile as Rachel bounced on her heals and smiled brightly. "Good job Britt. I'm glad you are using the word of the day calendar I got you."

"Quit looking so fucking shocked, Punk Barbie," Santana said scrunching her brows at her best friend. "My girl is brilliant."

"I…," Quinn began but was interrupted by the overenthusiastic blonde dancer.

"Oh my god, Sugar, your brother could totally be a decoy. He can learn to speak leprechaun and his shortness would do the rest."

"That's a great idea babe," Santana said before grabbing hold of the girl's waist.

"So, ready to dance," Rachel chirped up at Quinn.

"Yeah," Quinn smiled, shaking her head.

"You know she only says stuff like that to see how people will react right," Rachel chuckled. "Though I do believe that she may be on to something where Lord Tubbington is concerned. That Obese cat is quite the shady one."

* * *

><p>The party had gone pretty well. Quinn was very pleased to see that Rachel had let some genuine smiles out during the evening and for that, the former blonde found that she would do anything. So now they were cuddling on Rachel's bed, listening to the hum of the television, which neither girl was really paying any attention to.<p>

"So what did you want to talk about," Quinn asked breathily as she rested her hand on the other girl's hip.

"Oh yeah, that," Rachel began. "Um well….First I want to thank you again for being here for me so much during all of this," she said nervously. "And tonight was great. I really loved it."

"You're welcome for the party but you don't have to thank me for being here for you when life happens. I mean, as your girlfriend, it's kind of my job," Quinn answered in all honesty. "It's my pleasure."

"You make me believe that," Rachel smiled.

"That's because it's true."

"I know we haven't talked about what you said in Daddy's hospital room," the brunette said. "I know it was kind of a rushed thing but I want you to know that my not saying it back didn't mean I didn't feel the same way. Please say you know that."

"I do now," Quinn admitted. "I didn't want to push it given the situation. I didn't want you to feel like you had to say it back. To be honest I told your fathers that I was in love with you but I didn't directly tell you."

"But I do Quinn. I love you. I'm in love with you and you need to know that. You mean so much to me and I would hate it if you didn't realize that," the dark-haired girl pleaded.

"I love you too, Rachel. It didn't change just because you didn't say the words to me," the punk girl replied softly before placing a kiss on Rachel's forehead and then placed a chaste kiss to her lips. They had only briefly parted when Rachel was seeking soft pink lips once more only now the kiss they were intertwined in was anything but chaste. Her tongue didn't need to fight her way in because Quinn was all too willing to grant her access.

The brunette managed to slip her right hand up the back of her girlfriend's black t-shirt and reveled at the contact even with still attached lips. Quinn hooked her left leg around Rachel's right as if to guarantee that the other teen couldn't separate from her, meanwhile her left hand roamed to her girlfriend's back pant pocket.

After taking a few moments to breathe Rachel rasped, "Are you sure you want to do this. We can wait if you want. I don't mind."

"I've been ready for a long time, Rach. Are you cool with this?" Quinn had put her urges on the back burner because it was kind of an asshole move to try and get in your girl's pants when she was grieving. She wanted to be there for Rachel the best she could and that meant putting aside her hormones. But here Rachel was, giving into her own. "I want you to be sure. Don't do this because you think I want it or because of…."

"I love you and I want to make love to you, Quinn. Can we just forget about everything else and just be together right now, please?"

Quinn attached their lips again and began to unbutton the singer from her constrictive confines. Once she succeeded, the shorter girl began to shimmy her way out of her jeans as did Quinn from her own. The former HBIC easily rid herself of her shirt and then went on to aid Rachel in removing hers. Once Rachel had removed her bra, Quinn couldn't help but take a few moments to take the other girl in.

"How did I get so lucky to get something so beautiful," Rachel whispered into the silence. "You're just so perfect, Quinn." The punk girl kissed Rachel's nose and ran her right hand up her side and then cupped a perfectly tanned cheek.

"If only you knew what you do to me," Quinn said back. "If only you knew how surprised I am every day that I get to call you mine." Quinn saw the hesitance in Rachel's face. It still amazed her how insecure her diva could be considering she was on the receiving end of a lot of flirting. But then Quinn also knew that she herself was insecure and had always been, even when guys were practically begging her to give them a chance. "Here, feel how much I want you," she husked, now taking hold of Rachel's hand and leading it to her heated center. She hadn't even removed her underwear but the moisture was making its presence known through the fabric. "That's just for you, Rachel."

The brunette bit down on her bottom lip in desire and looked at the panty clad apex between the taller girl's thighs. "Can I? I mean i-is it okay if I," Rachel attempted to stutter out.

"I wish you would," Quinn smiled wantonly.

"If I do anything that makes you uncomfortable you'll tell me right," Rachel asked in an unsure voice. It may not have been either of their first times but it was the former Skank's first time with a girl and it was their first time together so Quinn figured Rachel's nerves were present for that very reason.

"Yes. I promise I'll tell you if anything doesn't feel right."

Quinn watched with wonder as her girlfriend worked her way down her body, leaving a trail of wet kisses down her belly, and settled herself between her legs. She urged her to lift her hips so that small slender fingers could pull down the final green barrier between herself and the place she was so eager to get acquainted with. She marveled at the slickness shining from the closed lips, covering a blonde curly patch and smiled.

Rachel connected her eyes to Quinn's and the latter nodded her head in one more attempt at permission. Without losing eye contact Rachel guided her index and middle fingers through the warm moist folds of her soon to be lover, grazing her clit on the way before slowly interring her. Quinn's breath hitched at being filled before her voice gave way to a whimper. It wasn't a foreign feeling. Yes Puck had been there but she had learned the pleasantries of her own body during her pregnancy and had continued to learn how to pleasure it afterward. Though the feeling wasn't completely new, it was different in the best way possible.

The nimble digits began slowly pumping with care while Hazel eyes still settled on mahogany. "Are you okay," Rachel asked.

"Yes. I'm pretty good actually," Quinn tried to say somewhat coherently. "But if you went faster I think I might be even better."

Rachel hastily complied with the other girl's request with somewhat of a glint now in her eye. "Anything you want," she smirked. "I'm gonna put my mouth on you okay."

"Rach, you don't have to give me a play by play. Just do it baby."

Rachel used her unoccupied hand to properly hold the folds of her lover's sex open and lowered her head to dart her tongue across the engorged nub.

"Fuck," Quinn rasped out.

Rachel swiped the pink muscle across the again causing her lover to grab hold of her chestnut locks. Before Quinn could really get in the swing of it she was hissing at the feeling of her clit being battered so deliciously. This was most definitely new and she had absolutely no complaints.

"Fuck I love you Rachel Berry."

"I love you too, Quinn," Rachel replied after coming up with her smiling mouth covered in Quinn's essence. Though Quinn loved the sentiment of it the gesture, she couldn't help but feel it was a gesture that could have waited. She relayed that very message by gently pushing the girl's head back between her thighs.

"Don't stop, baby. Please I don't think I can take it if you stop right now." She mewed as the stimulation returned once more. Rachel's fingers curled inside of her and she found it was too hard to keep her eyes open. "Mmmmmmm."

The brunette worked diligently within her and all Quinn could seem to coherently think was, 'Why this couldn't have been my first time?' She would never regret her child but had she and Rachel been able to get together back then they could have been each other's first. It would have been beautiful. All those thoughts were quickly shoved to the side as her body had become flushed with heat and she could feel the pooling in her abdomen. She felt her walls clamp down onto her love's fingers and she lost herself in trying to breathe and letting out the jagged moans that were now escaping her throat. Rachel didn't stop though. Her motions grew slower but she kept right on pumping and softly using her tongue to stroke Quinn's pulsating clit.

It was pure bliss but Quinn knew she was coming down. She was now ever eager to return the favor. She wanted to show Rachel why Quinn was hers and in return Rachel was Quinn's. When her body became limp, Rachel lifter her head again and slowly removed herself from her partner's core, leaving the other girl feeling a bit empty. Rachel scooted herself up so that she was lying next to the former Cheerio.

Quinn was quick to capture her girlfriends lips and for the first time tasting herself in the process. It was heady and it made her even more determined. "I want to touch you," she said lowly into Rachel's ear. Knowing that Rachel had others to compare her to _did_ worry her, but she couldn't bring herself to not touch her. Quinn had done some internet research along with exploring her own body but she wasn't delusional enough to believe that anything but actual experience was going to really do anything.

"God please touch me."

She hadn't rid herself of her bra yet but she was very happy that Rachel had. She took a dusky nipple into her mouth and rolled her tongue over the hardened bud.

"Quinn," the brunette quivered. Verbally she went unanswered, though it was a hand that responded. She slipped her hand under the fabric, running three fingers along the wet slit.

"Is that for me," she purred after unlatching her lips.

"You know it is," was the shaky reply.

"I'm going to need you to talk me through some of this. I've only ever done this to myself and I have never done anything like this with my mouth." Rachel only nodded. Quinn began stroking over the hardened clit with her thumb, somewhat amazed at the slickness that coated her fingers.

Rachel's breathy moans were intoxicating. They had participated in heavy make out sessions along with equally heavy petting which had left Quinn in a state she was barely able to return from in the past. Now, however, she was at the point of no return. The girl beneath her was sounding like this, reacting like this, just for her and it gave the ex-Cheerio a high that she never quite hit before.

No matter how free a spirit Rachel Berry was, she was surrendering to Quinn. Maybe she did have some control here. She began working two fingers into the tight channel. It was awkward how at home she felt in the snug confines of her girlfriend. It was so inviting, like it wanted her in further.

"Pump them for me, baby" Rachel begged as she lifted her left leg and rested it atop Quinn's shoulder. She complied, though slowly curling her fingers downward with the thrusts until she felt something spongy. She did to her partner what she knew felt good to herself. "You can go faster. You won't hurt me." Again Quinn complied.

Quinn watched wide eyed as her little lover slightly lifted her hips to meet with each of Quinn's quickening thrust. She'd decided that she was ready to taste and she said as much with a not so ladylike grunt. Rachel said nothing so Quinn took it as permission. She looked right into the glistening essence and brought her face right above the nub that she had at one point been fondling with her thumb and inhaled the pungent aroma. It wasn't exactly flowery but it was something intriguing all the same. She blew softly and seeing the swollen clit twitch the slightest bit excited the hell out of her. She couldn't stop the breathy laugh that escaped her lips.

"Stop teasing," Rachel demanded softly in obvious need.

Quinn answered by taking a broad lick from just above where her fingers were working all the way up to the peak of the protruding nub. Rachel tasted different than her. Not bad at all. A little less salty but it was nice. She stopped to take in more of the scent while her girl was shivering and trying her best not to yank on the handful of pink hair she was clutching. Quinn repeated her actions with her tongue.

"Yeah, just like that. You're pretty good at this for a first timer," was complimented through broken breathing. Quinn took the bud into her mouth and made a sharp suck. When she first felt Rachel's walls tighten even more around her fingers and heard the shriek that flew from her throat, she had been afraid that she had hurt her. When she lifted her head and saw tears coming from Rachel's eyes she had become almost frantic. But when she felt the warm wetness multiply, therefore dripping down her own hand, she knew she'd done a good job. She'd made Rachel come undone and it was a magnificent sight. Remembering not to stop the stimulation all at once she slowed her pace following the example of her lover's earlier ministrations during her own orgasm.

"I-I- Oh shit Quinn. Damn it you're a natural. I love you. I love you, I love you."

Quinn's smile grew considerably. "I love you more than I knew I could." She kissed the inside of Rachel's right thigh and then repeated her actions with the left. "I'm yours and I need you to be mine."

"There isn't any doubt in that," the brunette said tiredly.

* * *

><p>Later they curled up back to front, Quinn being the big spoon. She gently kissed the nape of the smaller girl's neck and then a bare tanned shoulder as she slept in her arms. She loved what they had done. It felt like they were bonded together on a whole new level now. But she also knew that Rachel was still hurting and was pretending like she was happier than she was.<p>

She though back to the conversation she had with Dakota not so long ago. _Don't let her pretend too much. She'll pretend like she's okay, happy even when she just isn't. We cater to that most of the time but when it's something big, you have to push her or she'll swallow it whole and choke on it._ She loved Rachel too much to let her choke on her feelings. She was going to have to push. Even if it made her feel like a hypocrite because she hated when people pushed her feelings, but this was Rachel and she wanted her to happy again. She wasn't going to be able to achieve that if she didn't deal with the loss of her daddy properly.

Tomorrow was a new day and she was going to push. She just hoped the fallout didn't leave her in the dust when Rachel pushed back.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you for taking the time to read. I wanted a lighter chapter after all the sadness in the last one though, Rachel, her cousin, and her father are still avoiding a lot of feelings so they will have to work on that as a family. Maybe they just need a push in the right direction. Please send me a review and let me know what you think because I thrive off of them like crazy.<strong>


	14. It All Comes Back Someday

**Chapter 14/?** : It All Comes Back Someday

**Fandom:** Glee  
><strong>Pairings: <strong>Rachel Berry /Quinn Fabray Side, Brittany/ Santana Rachel/Other  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 for sexual themes and smutt.  
><strong>Word Length<strong>: 1000+ per chapter.

**Spoilers: **All aired episodes, only a few things from season three as it's AU for the most part.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "Glee" I wish it were so but no such luck so instead I'm writing fanfic for it as the next best thing. I just changed a few things up to fit the situation. I do own the OC's, though sometimes I think they own themselves.

**My beta is a busy woman so I'm going to post this now and re-upload later. Until then, all mistakes are my very own. Sorry about that.**

**Thank you to all that reviewed, and added to their alerts and favorites.**

**I wish I could write back to the anons that leave such nice reviews but since I can't I'd like to let you know how much I appreciate your kind words.**

Dylan, Dakota, and Quinn had been in and out of the kitchen all morning. They were getting ready for brunch and because there were usually already too many cooks in the kitchen on Sundays, they insisted that the others stay out of the kitchen, not that Farah made it a habit of cooking anyway. Erin was over for the first time during a brunch so Lorna was busy entertaining her and Brittany and Santana had opted to join them in the living room. This was big because she had never invited anyone she was seeing to brunch, not even Sharon. Rachel had gone by the hotel to see her dad but would be returning soon enough.

"Looking kind of tired there, pink lady," Dylan chimed.

"Must you always refer to my hair," she said back, mildly irritable.

"Dogs bark, cats meow, and I make fun of your bubblegum hair do," Dylan stated plainly. "Just a fact of life."

"Were you and San separated at birth or something," Quinn asked incredulously.

Before Dylan could answer Dakota was speaking. "Thank god if they were. Do you really think any parent could handle the two of them?"

"God no," Quinn breathed still a little irritably.

"And I have no shame in that," Dylan said slyly. "Now that I'm done hookin' up my potato scramble, I'm off to kick it with the more interesting chicks in the house."

Quinn rolled her eyes as the girl left the room. "What's with the tude this morning? I thought for sure you'd be in a good mood after last night's party and after party…fun," Dakota said with a wink.

"Oh my god did you hear," Quinn asked in mild panic.

"Ray's room is sound proofed so no," Dakota answered. "You two were extra affectionate earlier so I assumed something changed is all."

"Oh, well yeah."

"We don't have to talk about it. I get that it makes you uncomfortable, especially when it's me that brought it up of all people."

"It was wonderful," Quinn said, now smiling. "Like it was really just amazing, even with the awkward 'am I doing this right' kind of stuff."

Dakota gave Quinn a somewhat generic smile but it soon slipped into a genuine one. "I'm glad for you guys."

"Thanks."

"So if last night was so great, what's up your ass?"

"I was thinking about what you said about not letting her hide away her feelings. She's doing that and I'm not sure how to make her deal," the former cheerleader said warily.

"That she is," Dakota confirmed. "We all greave in our own ways and this is hers. Apparently it's Lorna and Hiram's way too."

"I get hiding your feelings but this was her father. He's gone and she won't talk about it."

"Farah, Dylan and I still have crying fits every so often, but we do it away from them. Don't tell D I told you because she'll be all pissed that we know she cries," the DJ explained.

"What do I do about Rach?"

"Look, we all have our way of doing things. I have my way of pushing, as do we all. My way isn't necessarily your way," Dakota answered.

"Then can you do what you do and get her to deal," Quinn nearly begged.

"A part of Farah and me letting her go was giving you that responsibility," Dakota said sadly.

"I don't want her to push me away," Quinn admitted.

"I can't guarantee she won't. She may for a little while but she'll eventually see why you're doing it. You'll figure it out and it will probably bring you together more in the end," the tattoo artist walked over to the high school girl and gave her a one armed hug. "I have faith in you, alright. You can do this."

"I hope you're right."

"Even though this part of it is on you, we'll have your back, okay," Dakota said warmly.

"Thanks," Quinn said quietly.

"No problem."

* * *

><p>"So how's the Salon going," Dylan asked in an attempt to make conversation.<p>

Erin smiled gratefully and answered, "Pretty good. I have a lot of regulars who come to me. I'm thinking of opening up my own though. The closest co-worker I have to my age is twenty years older than me and it's so stiff in that place."

"Yeah, I know," Farah grumbled. "When you were clipping me the biddies kept giving me the stink eye."

"I want to open a place where the younger crowd would want to go. You know somewhere where they don't have the appointment fallowing their mothers and grandmothers," The tall lanky woman said.

"That be great," Lorna spoke up. "You'd clean up during prom season for sure."

Farah chuckled, "And maybe you could play music from this century too."

"I like the music they play in there," Quinn said incredulously.

"Yeah, there is nothing like the classics," Lorna defended.

"What is with you and old school?"

"Like Lor said, there ain't nothing wrong with classics," Dylan declared. "We like some of everything. It's called being eclectic."

"Anyway, we were talking about the salon," Dakota said, effectively bringing the conversation back.

"Yeah well I'm trying to get a few of my other friends to join me. If I can get about three of them to partner up with me, we could be the place for the twenty somethings and younger. Maybe we can even get some of those 'ever trying to recapture their youth' ladies too."

"In Lima? Yeah, I don't think so," Santana bit out unbelievingly.

"I had a forty something year old who insisted I give her the, and I quote, 'Snookie look" last week. Believe it or not, she wasn't the first," Erin grinned. Quinn thought back to that Maggie woman who had a similar hairstyle. Her nose scrunched up at the thought of the woman kissing Rachel, but thin she could only grin because if it hadn't been for that, she wouldn't have had the guts to get what she wanted, at least not then anyway.

"Sounds like Puck's type. You know how he loves the cougars," Santana barked out in laughter.

"I think anything with tits is Puckerman's type," Dylan added with a giggle.

Santana gave a satisfied smile and went to fist bump Dylan across the table. As much as the two could challenge each other, there was no denying their similarities. "We could rule the world, blondie."

"Hells to the yes," Dylan returned with laughter.

"More like blow it up," Farah chuckled.

"D is definitely the push the red button type," Lorna joked.

"No I…..," Dylan trailed off. After a few moments she said, "Okay, so maybe I am."

"I'm not sure if I like the two of you bonding about possible world dominance and or world destruction," Rachel cut in.

"Oh chill out, sexyberry," the Latina smirked. "If we take over we'll make it a rule that everyone has to attend one of your shows or something." Quinn rolled her eyes at the comment. Santana had stopped overly flirting with Rachel but she slipped from time to time. The former blonde wasn't really upset by it but she couldn't have Santana thinking she approved of it or anything.

"Well in that case," the smaller brunette began, "by all means get to work. But I think you'll need Britt and Lorna to be your moral compass."

"I won't let Sanny blow up the world," Brittany assured Rachel, who only smiled at her in response.

"I'll make sure D leaves the world in one piece," Lorna said smiling at Brittany. "So we're all safe."

"Um, still not convinced but, whatever," Farah replied under her breath.

Light laughter could be heard around the table. "That's right," Santana replied, "Live in fear."

"And make sure you stay on our good sides so when it all goes down, you're protected," Dylan added in a fairly serious tone.

Dakota looked back and forth between the girls and then said, "I think I'll stake my livelihood on our crappy economy instead. Somehow I think I'm safer that way."

"Suit yourself," Dylan said nonchalantly before taking a bite of toast.

"So ladies, anybody have plans for Valentine's day? Only a few weeks to go," Dakota inquired.

"That's quite a bit of time don't you think," Farah asked scrunching her brow.

"You shouldn't start planning less than two weeks ahead of time, my love," the tattoo artist chimed. "You remember what happened last year."

"Yeah I do," Farah said at the memory.

"That day was made to screw with us," Dylan grumbled. "Last year Antonio ended up having to work through it. I love me some Lor but she was not supposed to be my V date."

Everyone looked to Lorna who said, "It only made sense that Sharon spent it with her husband so I was a loner for the night. Well at least until D showed up."

"Britts was with wheels last year so yeah, anyway," Santana shrugged. "What happened to you two?" She motioned at Farah and Dakota indicating who she meant.

"We were going to go out for dinner but someone waited til the last minute to try to get us a vegan-friendly place to eat and then my heal broke and some idiot spilled wine all over me," Dakota said annoyed. Farah looked at her pointedly. "Hey you said to leave it up to you so I did."

"Thanks to Leroy, we ended up having a great night anyway though. He gave up the reservations he and Hiram had and brought Blue another pair of shoes and a dress to change into. We had a magical night and they had a fabulous night in without any interruptions. Leroy was super romantic. He put up Christmas lights all over the inside of the house and cooked for Hiram. Then he played a mix CD that he had Rach make for him of some of their favorite songs, some cliché some not so much. Hiram gushed about it for months," Farah said happily. "They were always so in love."

"Yeah, um I need to go to the restroom," Rachel said overly chirpy. "If you'll excuse me." She hopped up and made her way out of the room.

Quinn watched her leave and then nervously looked over to Dakota, who nodded her head at her, encouraging her to follow.

* * *

><p>Quinn knocked on the door to Rachel's bedroom but entered without an invitation. Rachel had a habit of yelling 'come in' even if the person on the outside couldn't hear the goings on in her room when the door was shut.<p>

The small brunette sat on her bed smiling at the former blonde who had just entered. She had no doubt scrambled to put herself together in the short moments before her girlfriend arrived. "Hey you," she said sweetly at her partner who had made the trek to the bed and sat beside her.

"Hey. Just wanted to check on you." Quinn had heard Rachel close her bedroom door and stayed outside of it for a good ten minutes before she bothered to knock. Just in case the other girl really was just using the restroom she didn't want to interrupt. "You've been gone for a while."

"Yes, well I had decided to take a few moments to myself. I love my girls but they can be overwhelming sometimes," the glee club co-captain smiled her way through the whole sentence as she rattled it off.

"I can see that," the former blonde said to appease the girl before she went on to say what she knew she had to say. "Maybe it was the topic that was overwhelming more so than the people?"

Rachel looked visibly thrown off guard but quickly recovered. "Well you and I haven't discussed Valentine's Day as of yet. I am somewhat nervous because I want it to be a spectacular occasion."

"It'll be great even if it's just snuggling up on the couch, but that isn't what I was talking about and I think you know that," Said Quinn in the warmest voice she could muster.

"Quinn, it's fine," said the brunette in warning.

The taller girl took a deep breath to work up her courage then said, "No it's not. Rachel, you're not dealing with…."

Rachel interrupted. "That is not for you to worry about. I'm dealing just fine. I'm not breaking down at every turn. I'm not hold up in some corner not living my life. I'm not crying every five minutes. I'M FINE!"

The memory of her conversation with Dakota was invading the pink haired girl's thoughts again. _"And offer yourself up sometimes. I'm not saying breakdown or anything, just let her know a little about how you're feeling. She's more likely to be honest with you about her own thoughts if you return the favor in kind._

"I'm not fine," Quinn declared in a tone just as loud as her girlfriend's had gotten.

"What," Rachel asked, furrowing her brows. "I don't understand."

"I won't insult you by trying to say that the situations are remotely similar but….My dad, he won't have anything to do with me. If I were to get into some major car accident and become paralyzed, I doubt he'd even show. Rach, he hates me that much." Rachel's face softened at the sight of the ex-Cheerio's sullen expression. "He won't even talk to me. So when I see men like your daddy, who love their kids no matter what. When I see how much he loved you I'm a little jealous of that."

"Qui…."

"No, just listen for a minute." Rachel nodded and motioned for the other girl to continue. "I'm jealous of it but I know that if I got a call tomorrow about Russell being hurt or worse, I'd be a mess because I love him even if he can't bring himself to love me anymore." She hadn't meant for her voice to crack. She just wanted to show Rachel that she had issues as well and hoped that the girl would reciprocate in sharing her feelings, but she couldn't stop the obvious sadness that lingered inside her due to her father's self-imposed departure from her life.

"I doubt he doesn't love you anymore. He just doesn't know how to express it the right way."

"I'm not so great at dealing either," Quinn admitted. "But Rach, my dad doesn't want me. The same man that used to take me to baseball games and tuck me in at night, and call me his princess; he doesn't want anything to do with me and it breaks my heart. I just want to pretend like it doesn't bother me. I don't want it to matter."

"But it does," the shorter girl said thoughtfully.

Quinn rested her head on her girlfriend's shoulder and said, "Yes it does."

"Honey it isn't healthy to keep that all bottled up," Rachel cooed, playing right into her girl's hands.

She sighed and added, "I'm willing to deal with mine if you're willing to deal with yours."

"Yours is different than mine," Rachel said in all honesty.

"Yes it is, but it isn't any less unhealthy for you to hold onto yours than it is for me to hold on to mine," was the ex-blonde's retort.

"I'm acknowledging it, okay," Rachel spat, but it was apparent that she hadn't meant it to sound so venomous. "My dad won't come home. He barely talks to anyone. My cousin has this sad look in her eyes and closes herself off; except for when she's acting like nothing's changed at all, that is. My Daddy doesn't call and ask me how his Broadway baby's day went anymore. I know damn well what's happened!"

"What's happened, Rachel," Quinn asked knowingly.

"You know what happened," was answered incredulously.

"My dad wants nothing to do with me. He'd rather be off with some twenty-four year old girlfriend reclaiming his youth than being with me. He threw me out for getting pregnant because I defied _**his**_ morality and all the while he was screwing around on my mother. He was just waiting on an excuse to get rid of me," A few tears pushed out of her hazel eyes. "There, I've said the words, now you."

"I know what happened," Rachel whispered, seemingly more worried for Quinn than herself.

Quinn slipped off the bed and knelt before her lover. She gripped her shoulders and looked directly into her chocolate pools. "Your daddy is dead." She said it without malice or much of any emotion. She recited it as a fact, nothing more and nothing less.

"I know he went away, Quinn," Rachel returned, trying her hardest not to cry.

"He didn't just go away, Rachel. He died. Leroy James Maloney-Berry is dead. Say the words."

"I don't want to," Rachel snapped, pulling herself away from her girlfriend's grasp.

"You not saying it doesn't stop it from being true. Please just say it," Quinn said forcefully without yelling.

"Fine, he's dead," Rachel screeched. "My daddy is dead and he isn't coming back! I'm never going to get to joke around with him again. He won't be at my graduation, or at any of my opening nights on Broadway. He'll never go to my wedding or meet my kids. You happy now?!"

Quinn immediately engulfed the smaller girl in a hug and softly said, "No. I'm not happy about that at all, but at least you can say it."

"I kind of hate you right now," Rachel confessed just as quietly.

"I know," Quinn answered. "I'd hate me too. But I also know that you love me and if it means making you feel better in the long run, it's worth you hating me for a little while." They stayed hugging for the next twenty minutes.

* * *

><p>When they finally returned down stairs, most of the group was in the living room chatting it up, while Lorna and Erin were missing.<p>

"Damn you two couldn't wait till after brunch to get your mac on," Santana said teasingly. "Even Britts and I managed to give it a rest long enough to hang out for a while."

"That's not what we were doing," Quinn defended.

"Not judging," the Latina assured. "Just sayin is all."

"Then you can quit just saying," the punk girl snapped.

"Guess you weren't getting any because if you had you'd be in a much better mood," Santana said back with no real bite.

"Don't worry , Q," Brittany interjected. "San gets all huffy if she doesn't get any lady lovin too."

"I know," grunted Quinn, thinking about how impossible her friend could be when she was lacking in sexual release.

"We all do," added Rachel.

"Then I guess you better thank B 'couse she's what's going to keep me from beating you senseless, Fabray," Santana laughed before giving the aforementioned girl a kiss on the lips.

"Brittany we all thank you for your contributions to better the world," Farah chimed in with mirth.

"No prob," Brittany stated. "I'm just that good."

"Yeah you are," Santana confirmed, then nipped on the blonde dancers neck.

Dylan cleared her throat rather loudly and said, "Alright cute little lesbians of Lima. Take that somewhere else."

"Gladly," was the raven haired girl's response as she stood up from the sofa and extended a hand to Brittany. Brittany took the offered hand with a smile. "We're out. Later Rainbow Brigade Chicas." She gave a quick wave and began to make her way to the front door.

"Bye guys. See you later," Brittany happily offered. "Tell Lorna and Erin I said bye too."

"Yeah me too," Santana said as they exited the house and soon the door closed behind them.

The remaining girls giggled a little at the exit of their horny friends. "I'm going to have to jump outa here meet up with Antonio soon," Dylan exclaimed. "I need sex to live a tolerable existence myself and well, it's been a couple days."

"I'm not at all surprised by that," Quinn playfully sniped. The two had started off rocky but they could genuinely enjoy each other's company now. They'd even gotten to a place where the two could consider one another friends and it made life a hell of a lot easier on them all.

"Good, you shouldn't be," Dylan retorted. "Going upstairs to call my man and figure out when he can scratch this itch." She stood and headed for the stairs.

"If it itches you may want to get it checked," Farah laughed.

"Then I suggest you go with me 'cause with all those scratch marks I saw on your back this morning, you must have been itching like crazy," Dylan shot back with her own chuckle.

Farah only smirked when she said, "What can I say? I make my lady feel things she just can't control. You should see how she reacts when I put my tongue in her…"

"And that was a mental picture I really didn't need," the blonde interrupted as she made it to the top of the steps. Dakota blushed a little but didn't make a big deal of the comment.

"You're the one who went there in the first place," the biker sing-songed. The only reply she got was Dylan's bedroom door closing.

"Well that was fun," Dakota smiled. "Been a while since you two played a game of Gross out Sex Chicken."

"Pfft, that was nothing, babe. I didn't even get to tell her about all the ways we used that special toy."

Seeing Quinn's rising discomfort, Rachel opted to remove them from the situation. "Quinn and I are going to go finish our food and maybe clean up a bit."

"Lor and Erin are already cleaning but they left your food where it was," said Dakota.

"Alright thanks." The two girls went to the dining area holding fingers laced with one another's. Lorna was loading the dish washer and Erin was wiping down the counter when they entered.

"Everything alright," Lorna asked after taking in the sight of her cousin and the girl's girlfriend. "That was a hell of a long bathroom break," she tried to joke.

"We needed to talk a little," Rachel answered honestly.

"A good talk I hope," the black girl said smiling, now leaning against the counter.

"Depends on how you see it I guess," the short brunette answered.

"Seeing as how you two are holding hands and all, I suppose it wasn't too bad a talk," said the older cousin.

"Do you have any free time on Thursday," Rachel blurted to the darker girl.

"I think so, why?"

"I was hoping that maybe you me and Dad could have a nice dinner. Just the three of us."

Lorna seemed to stop and think about it for a few seconds before saying, "Sure, that sounds good. I've barely had a chance to see Uncle Hiram lately, much less talk with him."

"Thanks," Rachel said in a relieved manner. She then began to guide Quinn to the dining room.

"You okay, Rach," Lorna asked before they hit the door.

Rachel turned around to face her cousin once again. "Not really but I think I can be. I think we all can be."

Not understanding the cryptic words, Lorna scrunched her brows together, but allowed the younger girl and her partner to continue on their quest, but not before saying, "When you're ready to tell me what you mean, I'm here." Erin who had been quietly watching the two cousins linked arms with Lorna and kissed her on the cheek.

* * *

><p>Monday afternoon provided major entertainment and it had nothing to do with the musical stylings of the glee club. Jacob Ben Israel had apparently lost what little was left of his mind and declared publicly in the halls of McKinley High, that he was in fact madly in love with Cindy Holloman. The boy had showed up with Roses and stupidly enough, a bottle of his father's red wine.<p>

They'd all known that the boy was a bit unhinged. The fact that he stalked Rachel for three years, going as far as to hide in the tree by her bedroom window, and even request a pair of the girl's panties, proved as much. But this was just plain crazy. Cindy opened her locker to find balloons and love notes spilling out of it and it wasn't even Valentine's Day yet.

Quinn and Santana were on their way to the Choir room when they heard Cindy say in a deftly low voice, "You do realize I'm going to have to kill you now right," as she looked down at the boy who had thought it romantic to address her on his knees. Quinn was standing with her jaw hanging to the floor, while Santana stood next to her laughing uncontrollably. "You hear me Jewfro? You're dead!"

"But we love each other and we can make a life together," the boy insisted. "You promised that we coul…"

"I was using you to get back at Lopez, you idiot," she seethed, now louder. "In the end you just made it all worse," she spat. A few of her fellow class mates looked on in shock as they tried to decipher exactly what was transpiring in front of them.

"Well, what's going on here," Ronnie asked in a fake overly sweet tone as Sheila and Mac stood behind her.

"I was just telling my lady that I love her and that I'll protect her from you Skanks," Jacob said nervously.

"Is that so," Mack said from behind Ronnie. "You gonna start by not wetting yourself when I punch you in the face and take all your money?"

Ronnie and Sheila laughed at what their friend had said. "Look guys this loser lost his mind or something. For some reason he thinks it's okay to address me," Cindy tried to back track, not taking to account that she never publicly acknowledged the Skanks either. There were only a hand full of people in the hall now, but it was enough.

"Yeah, whatever," Sheila chuckled. "You got my stuff Cheeriho?"

"Cindy looked around as eyes were all on her and tried to lower her voice enough to discreetly say, "Not here. We had a deal. People will ask questions."

"Please, "Ronnie chuckled. "Like they aren't gonna start asking now? Come on girls," she motioned to the other two in her posse. They all nodded to Quinn and Santana as they passed.

An overwhelmed Cindy slammed her locker, kicked the kneeling nerd and stomped off in the other direction.

"Okay," Santana said quietly. "I gotsta know the rest of this story."

"Yeah, me too," Quinn agreed before the two went to meet their girlfriends in the Choir room.

* * *

><p>Tina who had unbeknownst to Santana and Quinn had been witness to the little scene in the hallway and wasted no time sharing that bit of info with Kurt and Mercedes, who made sure to spread it around like wildfire. The whole club was buzzing about it throughout the meeting but they were all just as confused and a bit disgusted that anyone voluntarily hooked up with Jacob Ben Israel of all people, short of a life or death situation.<p>

Rachel wasn't surprised as to Cindy's motives. The things girls were willing to do to stay on top never surprised her. She had been on the receiving end of just how far a Cheerio would go. She had even been in the position herself when she sent Sunshine to that inactive crack house and that was just to be on top in glee.

Part of her felt bad for Cindy because if she was willing to put herself through that for something so trivial, she really must have had a very low self-esteem despite the bravado. However then she remembered the things that had come out of that girl's mouth. Rachel could take being called names; she could put up with being assaulted with slushies; she could even deal with the occasional toss into a dumpster if she had to. What she couldn't handle was someone disrespecting her dying father and for that, her forgiving nature could not kick in. She just wasn't ready to be above it all yet. She wasn't actively going after Cindy Holloman, but she wasn't going to go out of her way for the girl either. So she just sat and listened as her fellow glee-mates speculated and revel in the Cheerleader's inevitable downfall until the session was over and she could go try to spend some time with the father she had left. She'd ended up dropping Brittany off at a dance class on the way because for some reason their girlfriend's wanted to hang back at school. She figured they were planning strategies or something.

* * *

><p>Santana wasted no time calling Dylan after glee to fill her in on the goings on with their common enemy. She was so eager that she opted to stay in the school parking lot to call because she couldn't use the phone and drive at the same time. She wanted to have that conversation as soon as possible. There was no way she wasn't going to be the one to deliver the new.<p>

Quinn could hear the laughter on the other end of the phone and it wasn't even on speaker. "Can you believe the dumb bitch whored herself out just to bad mouth me and get some good shit written about her on some high school newspaper and a blog that doesn't mean anything to anyone outside of this place," the Latina laughed into the phone. After a few moments the Latina said, "Yeah I know there has to be more. Q's gonna have to talk to her little Skank friends so we can get a better clue."

Quinn knew that it was that it would be up to her to get the full story at this point. She was going to let it go until the earlier events of the day. Now she was just too curious not to investigate.

"Tell her I'll get on it tomorrow," Quinn said as she stood by going through possibilities in her mind.

"Q says she'll talk to them tomorrow," the overly happy Cheerleading co-captain chirped. "That girl will never live this one down….."

Quinn tunes her friend out thinking of things to say in order to get the information she wanted. There were too many things on her mind between the Cindy situation, Rachel's grieving, her own daddy issues, and trying to figure out if she wanted to clue her mom in on her current relationship. Her life had been angst-ridden since sophomore year and the thing that brought her out of her personal thoughts made it that much more angst-filled.

"It's nice to see you Quinn," the older brunette nodded politely. "That's an….interesting new look."

"Yeah, I needed a change," Quinn breathed.

"Girl, I gotsta go," Santana said into the phone losing her laughter as she did so. "I think I'm seeing the ghost of baby dramas past." It didn't seem as if she had even given Dylan time to say a proper goodbye before she hung up in shock.

"Why are you here," Quinn asked with a little bite.

"A few reasons. You and Noah are a part of them," was the reply.

"She doesn't need you to show up and hurt her right now," Quinn said calmly. As much as she hoped to be able to maybe see her child, she also wanted to protect Rachel. They never really discussed how Shelby adopting Beth hurt her, but Quinn could see that there was some resentment there.

Shelby seemed to know who Quinn was referring to. "I'm glad to see she has a friend in you."

"She has friends," Santana cut in. "As in enough to have her back if you screw with her."

"When exactly did that happen," the older woman nervously questioned. Quinn knew it was no secret that she barely tolerated Rachel on a good day and actively tried to hurt her on any other, back when Shelby was around.

"Not really your business," Quinn answered.

She was glad when Shelby let it go, saying, "I heard about her father Leroy. I don't want to make things harder for her. I know I hurt her before but I'd like to be there for her if I can."

"Give her some time," the former blonde replied. "Let her come to you."

* * *

><p><strong>So what are your thoughts? I'm hoping it was to your liking. Thanks a bunch for reading. Please drop me a review if you can.<strong>


	15. Nobody Else Will

**Title:** When Secrets Come Out to Play

**Chapter 15/?** : Nobody Else Will

**Fandom:** Glee  
><strong>Pairings: <strong>Rachel Berry /Quinn Fabray Side Brittany/ Santana Rachel/Others minor Quinn/OC  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 for sexual themes and eventual smutt.  
><strong>Word Length<strong>: 2000+ per chapter.  
><strong>Spoilers: <strong>All aired episodes, only a few things from season three as it's AU for the most part. **NO LUCY CABOOSY!**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "Glee" because if I did, well, I'd have a much prettier bank account. I don't own the song "Nobody Else Will" because The Clicks have that pleasure. If you haven't heard it I encourage you to check it out. I've been told it sounds like a hug and I'd have to agree. I do own a few of the OC's for the most part.

**Thanks to t8kmybreathaway/LadyHawke69 for doing wonderful beta work.**

**I love you all for putting this story on alerts and favorites. For all that take time to review, you make me a very happy lady. **

Shelby had thrown her for a loop. There was no question in that. Her child was back in Lima with her adoptive mother who happened to be her girlfriend's biological mother. Yeah it was pretty soap opera worthy, that's for sure. Quinn wasn't sure how to handle her own feelings about the fact that it was quite possible that she'd have to see Shelby around town regularly, knowing that she'd be going home to raise the child that Quinn gave birth to.

In the meantime, she was going to have to give Rachel a heads up. It just kept piling on. She parted ways with her Latina friend, after insisting that she keep the new information private until she had time to discuss everything with her girlfriend. Santana grudgingly agreed to keep it under wraps for a day or so. The Punk girl had to appreciate that Santana was protective of Rachel at this point. A year ago, she wouldn't have cared either way.

"Hey Rachel," Quinn said gently from her place on Rachel's bed. They spent a lot of time there these days though they were both fully clothed at this point.

"Yeah," the smaller girl replied fleetingly in between her hums to the song playing on her iPod. Quinn had been so deep in thought that she really hadn't even identified it.

Quinn stroked her girl's left cheek in order to command her full attention. Rachel looked over to her, now giving her the attention commanded of her. "What is it?" she asked concerned.

"I need to tell you something. I'm not sure how you're going to take it."

"You won't ever know unless you tell me," Rachel said with a light breathy laugh and rested her arm on her lover's hip.

"I guess you're right," Quinn began. "Umm…well…After you left this afternoon I ran into somebody."

Rachel's face grew even more concerned. "Was it your dad? Quinn did he do something more to upset you?"

Seeing that Rachel was nearly frantic, her girlfriend put her left pointer finger to the diva's lips to quiet her. "No sweetie, it wasn't my dad. It was…It was your mom."

Rachel stared into Quinn's eyes with her deep chocolate ones for a few moments, while the pink-haired girl retracted her finger from her lips. Finally she said, "Now that would be impossible Quinn. I don't have a mom."

"You know I mean… Shelby," Quinn replied a tiny bit irritated because she knew Rachel was being purposefully aloof.

"She's my mother, not my mom," Rachel huffed. "She'll tell you the same."

"Okay," Quinn conceded. "Okay, well then I ran into your mother. It sounds like she'll be here for a while."

"How does that affect you? Oh my goodness does Noah know?" Rachel again began to panic a bit.

Quinn placed her hand on her girl's back and began rubbing circles in hopes to calm the other girl down a bit. "I think she wants to let us see Beth a little, but she also said she came back to see you. I'm not exactly sure how things ended with you two but I guess I always assumed it didn't go the way you planned because you don't really mention her anymore. I mean I can only remember one conversation we've had together that discussed them being together."

"Well Shelby and I are a non-issue but her being back is going to be something that affects you and Noah. Don't worry about me."

Quinn wasn't a moron. She knew there was more to this. She'd kind of felt as much even since the beginning of junior year when she wouldn't consider being around Rachel any more than she absolutely had to. The girl was holding something back. Unfortunately, Rachel was going through a lot right now and while Quinn was learning the art of pushing Rachel Berry when necessary, she knew that said girl could only take so much at one time. Right now she was going to let Rachel work on dealing with Leroy's death. They could deal with the Shelby issue later. "I can't help it. I love you, so I'm going to worry."

* * *

><p>The next day found Quinn retreating to the bleachers as she did many days, only this time she'd skipped a class so that her visit would coincide with The Skank's time there. Santana had wanted to join her but the former blonde assured her that it was for the best if they expected to get anything out of her semi-friends.<p>

It was Mack who caught sight of her first. "S'up Quinn?" She lifted her chin in greeting as wall.

"Hey," Sheila added once she took notice of the girl with the pink hair.

Ronnie simply waved.

"Hey. Hell of a lot goin' on actually," she replied to Mack's greeting. "But I was hoping you could fill me in on some of what's going on with you."

"Wouldn't have to do with that little show in the hall yesterday would it?" Sheila questioned as she leaned back onto the side of the bleachers.

"Curiosity finally got the best of me I guess. Was wondering what went down with Cindy. Like what she did to piss you off so much; what you had her doing; and how the hell did you manage to catch her and Jewfro in the act, in Sylvester's office no less?"

"That's a lot of damn questions there Quinnie," Mack smirked.

"Yeah well if ever there was a time to ask," Quinn grunted in reply.

"Got any smokes," Ronnie asked from her spot next to Sheila. She looked less amused than her cohorts.

The former cheerleader reached into her back pocket and pulled out her unopened pack of Marlboro Reds. She tossed them to the girl who'd asked, who caught them flawlessly. "Keep'em," Quinn nodded. "I got a carton in my trunk."

"Yeah thanks," Ronnie answered as she removed the plastic from the box. Silence hung in the air as she went about pulling out three cigarettes and handed one to the other two Skanks. Quinn thought it was a bit ridiculous seeing as how Mack had her own opened pack hanging out of her own pocket. She watched as Sheila grabbed a lighter from the front zip-up compartment on her bag and offered first Ronnie then Mack a light before lighting up her own stick of nicotine.

Ronnie took a long slow drag then released the smoke through her nostrils. Quinn had always thought it was gross when people did that. Even once she became a smoker she thought it was just unbecoming, but voicing it would only get herself ridiculed by the other three and the word 'unbecoming' could go against her current persona.

"So where should we start," Ronnie asked to Quinn's relief.

"Where ever you want."

"Had my eye on that little bitch since we got back to school," Ronnie began. "Noticed she kept skulking around Sylvester's office. She'd do it a couple times a week. Like she'd wait till she and Becky left to… I don't know, terrorize puppies and make jocks piss their pants or whatever. Anyway Israel would slip in there a few minutes later each time. I wasn't sure what was up but I figured I could find out," Ronnie took another drag, only this time it was smaller and this time cast out the smoke through her mouth. "Mack and I got there a little earlier that day and set up the spy camera. Don't know why that crazy coach didn't lock her shit up." This caused Quinn to look a little put off. _'Really' she thought, 'A spy camera?' _

Mack read the thoughts all over Quinn's face and saw it punctuated with the patented Quinn Fabray eyebrow arch. "We have my perverted nerd of an older brother to thank for that little device. Shame he's still going crazy trying to find it but can't ask about it because of the twisted shit he did with it." She and Sheila chuckled at the words.

"O-kay," the former blonde drawled wondering if she seemed as unstable when she was spending most of her time with the other girls. She would always have a soft spot for them because they helped her trudge through some shit during the summer, but this went a bit nuts. She ended that line of thinking when she realized that Santana and Dylan were more than capable and willing to do something like that if they felt they had a reason to. Yeah she was destined to be around nut-jobs. Hell she probably was one herself.

"What'd Holloman do to you?" She looked at Ronnie when she asked. It was obvious that she was the one of the three with the biggest vendetta. She'd just admitted to gunning for the girl from the start of the school year. That and Mack was usually the ringleader and she had allowed Ronnie to take charge in this matter.

"Not me…Well I had to deal with the fallout but I didn't get it nearly as bad," Ronnie started.

For the first time, maybe ever Quinn saw Sheila and Mack with a look of compassion on their faces as they watched their friend speak. It made her do an actual double take. Ronnie went on talking. "My younger cousin. Bitch messed with his head. Acted like she was into him over the summer. The kid thought he was in love. He didn't tell me because she made him keep it secret, otherwise I would have told him to leave her alone."

She stopped talking and flicked her cigarette to the ground. She was going to tear up. Quinn could see it. Ronnie didn't cry, at least not when people could see it. Sheila recognized her friend's turmoil and went on to finish the other girl's story. "She humiliated the kid. Told him back in August that she wouldn't ever be with a loser like him."

'_That girl sure had an M.O.,'_ Quinn had thought just as Sheila added, "He didn't take it well. The note explained it all."

"He…," Quinn began but was cut off by Ronnie.

"No. He tried but he screwed it up," she let out a humorless chuckle and added, "The only one of my cousins I can half way stand and she had to go and poison him. My aunt and uncle shipped him off to live with my grams in Iowa. He doesn't talk anymore." The girl looked at Quinn with more intensity than she had ever seen when she said, "When I confronted her she actually laughed. She said he was a liar because she'd never hook up with him but if hypothetically he was stupid enough to believe a girl like her wanted something like him, and then tried to off himself over it, then he deserved what he got." While the boy's reaction may have been dramatic, the glee club member felt for him. She also felt for Ronnie. Holliman was a cruel bitch who thought much more of herself than the Lima loser she was destined to be. She decided not to push the question of what they had Cindy doing.

"So Jacob's just her next victim," Quinn said, trying to hide her small concern. She didn't like the kid, and at times he creeped her out, but he didn't deserve what Cindy had done to him. She was stringing along a boy that was known for obsession. It was mean and it could turn the kid into a fatality. Quinn couldn't help but be angry at the fact that even after the consequences of her last situation, Cindy still chose to mess with yet another boy's mind.

"I don't really care about the little creep but I guess it would suck if he ended up on the wrong end of a trigger, ya'know," Ronnie said, trying her best to be blasé about it. "I guess I could warn him. Let him know she's not worth the bullet he'd have to waste."

"He may be a creep, but he doesn't deserve her crap," Quinn confirmed.

* * *

><p>"Why must you insist on beating a dead horse," Dakota asked Farah in exasperation. She kept bringing up the Cindy situation. Once Santana and Dylan had hung up from each other the day before, she made it her mission to tell the others. It wasn't until after Rachel knew, that the rest had been filled in about Shelby<p>

"Honey, that horse has been beaten, tenderized, and pulverized," Dylan added.

"You know I find that saying offensive enough. Why on earth did you feel the need to take it even further?"

"Because I knew it would get a rise out of you," Dylan laughed. "Oh, the poor poor horses," she added with a horrible impersonation of her Jewish friend.

"Leave her alone, D," Lorna chided. "She's got a lot on her mind."

"I just wanted her to crack a smile, or just go off on a rant."

"What, and out rant you," Farah joked.

"Please, I can out rant all of you bitches," Dylan laughed. "But Ray usually makes me work for it. And after what happened with that Cindy chick yesturday, I thought she might want to let off some steam. "

"Not, in the mood ladies," the small brunette huffed.

"I blame the bio mom's return," Farah said boldly. Dakota nudged her. Farah looked over to her girlfriend and said, "What? We may as well acknowledge it."

"I thought we were supposed to ignore the pink elephant in the room," Dylan giggled.

"Like you ever do," Farah shot back.

"We can talk about it if you need to," Dylan said, shrugging off Farah's words. She was now being serious, a side that was allusive to most.

"I don't have anything to say about it," Rachel answered. "She made her choices and I have learned to deal with them."

Dylan thought about pushing for a second, but soon let it go. "Fine, but you know we got your back if you need us."

"Yeah, I know."

Quinn had been listening in on the little conversation knowing full well that Rachel was not okay with it at all. She was going to let it go for now because there were other things to deal with. She may not be able to fix things for her girlfriend but she was going to try and help her with her more immediate issues, even if she had no business sticking her nose into their family business.

* * *

><p>Quinn knocked the hotel room door and politely waited for it to be opened. It didn't have to wait very long before she came face to face with Hiram. "Hello Quinn," the man ushering the teenaged girl through the door of his room. "It has been a while since we last saw one another."<p>

"Since the funeral," Quinn said in almost a whisper, as if whispering it would soften the blow of the subject matter.

"I guess so," the man returned in an even tone. "So what brings you by?"

"Um, "she began, "I was planning on something for Valentine's Day. I thought I could use your input since you probably know Rachel best. "

"Oh," the man said, faltering for a few seconds before he did so. "You know Rachel. She's always been one for big romantic gestures, all the bells and whistles."

"Yeah, I think this year she'd be more into something less flashy but still very meaningful," Quinn corrected, nicely.

"Well, it seems you already know the right direction to take," Hiram said in a rather confused tone.

"Okay, so that wasn't exactly why I came."

"May I ask why then?"

"It's Rach. She's in a lot of pain."

"My little girl is resilient, Quinn," Hiram returned. "She seems to be doing better every day. She still has that million dollar smile."

"It's fake," Quinn replied. "Trust me, I've seen the fake one enough to know what it looks like. The moment she smiled at me with the most genuine smile I've ever seen, was the moment I made sure to commit the difference between the two to memory."

"That's just how she gets through things. She'll get through this."

"Without her dad?" Quinn was getting a little irritated. She liked Hiram but his inability to include his daughter and niece in his grieving was off putting.

"What do you mean? Of course she has me," he said defensively.

"No, she really doesn't. Mr. Berry, you aren't even living in the house with her. It made sense when you had to be in LA to take care of Leroy," she watched as the man stiffened at the mention of his dead husband. "But now you're choosing to be apart from her while you're in the same town. It's killing her."

"She knows where I am when she needs me. My daughter has her cousin and her closest friends to lean on as well. She isn't alone." He almost seemed as if he were reassuring himself, rather than the pink-haired girl.

Quinn huffed and took a moment to collect herself. She didn't want to lash out at the man with the venom that was filling up her veins. In the end he was dealing with the death of a spouse, even if he wasn't handling it the right way. "I understand you lost a husband. I respect the grieving process but right now my girlfriend is hurting. She's been trying to hold it all together and act like it's all okay when it isn't. She needs her remaining father to step up and be there for her. You lost a husband, but she lost a father. Your niece lost her uncle and her last known blood related ties. The other three have lost a father figure. Be a damn father." She couldn't help the little outburst at the end. She needed him to snap out of it enough to really hear her words.

He sighed and his shoulders slumped as he sat down on the bed. "I know," he confessed. "I keep telling myself that. But then I think about going back into that house and it just makes me backtrack. I see how Rachel and Lorna smile through it and I convince myself that they're okay. I figured I could coast until Rach goes away to school in New York. The other girls plan to follow. I'd sell the house and move there to be close to Rach."

"She needs you now though. Even if you don't live in the house, you need to come around. You have to talk to her a hell of a lot more," her voice adopted a sympathetic tone. She could see that he'd been struggling with this.

"I know. Am I correct in assuming that you know about the dinner we have coming up," he questioned.

"You would be," she confirmed.

"Running interference for my daughter?"

"I just wanted to even her playing field a bit. She has me but I won't understand the way you will. I'm not exactly sure how Lorna's dealing but from what I've been able to gather, she isn't either," Quinn admitted.

"That one's always been a tossup. With her grandma she cried for days. With her mom she was a recluse." He stopped and looked at himself in the mirror across the room. "I guess the girl thinks we only need one reclusive family member per death," he deadpanned.

"Well, you have two days to think it over," she said warmly. "And I'll leave you to start that now. I have a few songs to go through. Turns out the girl I'm seeing loves to be serenaded."

"I wouldn't want you getting into trouble," Hiram halfheartedly chuckled.

She nodded in appreciation. "I hope to see you again really soon." She turned to make her way to the door.

"Quinn," Hiram said, halting the girl's stride.

She turned to face him once more. "Yes."

"Thank you for being there for my baby girl."

"It's a pleasure," she said with mild laughter before heading out of the room.

* * *

><p>The next day Quinn requested Rachel's appearance in the choir room during their free period. She had gone through some songs the night before, in hopes to find the perfect song to sing to Rachel on Valentine's Day, but she had managed to stumble over a song that she thought was perfect to sing to her lover under different circumstances. She'd still find something for V-day, however for now, she had a song to sing. The lyrics all but demanded it.<p>

"Hello," Rachel smiled as she breezed through the door.

"Hey," the punk girl replied with a sheepish grin.

"Is there a reason in particular you wanted to hang out in here," Rachel asked confusedly as she closed the door behind her and went to hug her girlfriend.

"Yep." Quinn pecked the smaller girl on the lips. "I want you to have a seat and let me get this all out."

"Okay," Rachel said nervously before sitting in the chair Quinn had pointed to.

"So I know you don't feel like singing solos much lately. I won't try to force you, but I feel like one of us has to. I heard a song last night. Well, I guess I've heard it a few times in passing before but for some reason it really stuck out to me this time. I stayed up all night trying to get it right because I wanted to sing it to you as soon as possible. I didn't want an audience because it's private." She motioned to the lack of Brad at the piano and then turned her attention to the iPod that was attached to a set of small speakers on top of the instrument.

Rachel, for her part, allowed the other girl to say her speech without interruption as instructed. Quinn could see that she was intrigued by the idea of her singing to her. "It isn't what I would have said would be in your repertoire last year but I've since learned that there are new thing to learn about you every day." She hit play and waited for the music to begin.

**If not for you, there would be  
>So little of this part of me<br>If not for you, the skies above  
>would not be blue or even<br>have enough  
><strong>

She looked directly at the tanner girl's chocolate orbs, trying to convey how much she meant these words.

**I see the skies, I see your eyes  
>I see the cars all passing by<br>I'm staying here, with you  
>my dear <strong>

Quinn began to slowly approach the seated girl and sat down in the chair next to her.

**If not for you, there would be  
>a bigger hole inside of me<br>If not for you, the stars above  
>would not be new or try to<br>carry love  
><strong>

The taller girl slipped one of her ivory hands over a tanner one and laced their fingers, all the while never losing eye contact.

**I see the skies, I see your eyes  
>I see the cars all passing by<br>I'm staying here, with you  
>my dear<br>I'm telling you the honest truth **

She turned her body towards her, and brushed a few stray locks of long dark hair to the side of Rachel's face with her free hand.

**So don't let me down again  
>I just want to be a good woman<br>Don't let me down again  
>I just want to be your best<br>Friend  
>And I'll be there for you in<br>darkest nights  
><strong>

Her hand now drifted downward to cup the girl's soft cheek. Rachel leaned her face into it with a soft smile playing on her lips, as she caressed her cheek with Quinn's palm.

**When love is lying still  
>I'll be there for you<br>to hold you tight  
>be there for you<br>when nobody else will**

Slipping her hand from Rachel's face, she allowed it to join with Rachel's other free hand so that she had a hand in each.

**Oooh.. Nobody else will**

**Oooh.. Nobody else will**

**Oooh.. Nobody else will**

**Oooh.. Nobody else will**

The former blonde went forehead to forehead with her lover as she delivered the final words.

**I see the skies I see your eyes  
>I see the cars all passing by<strong>

"Quinn," Rachel rasped through unshed tears. "That was the most beautiful thing anyone has ever sung to me."

"You know I mean it, right?" Quinn quarried with all kinds of sincerity.

Rachel nodded. Their foreheads were still resting on one another's. "I'm a lot of work," Rachel admitted in quietly.

"I'm not exactly a cake walk," was the punk girl's retort.

"What if my dad doesn't listen to me," Rachel said worriedly. "What if he stays like this?"

"Then you would have tried your best and it would be him that failed you, not the other way around," Quinn replied, separating their foreheads in order to brush away the tear, making its way down her girlfriend's cheek.

"He's not the same dad I knew. I'm afraid he'll think being around Lorna and me will be too much for him. I'm scared we might not get him back."

"He may surprise you. Maybe he knows what he needs to do; only he's waiting for that push. From what I can tell, people in your family need pushing from time to time."

Rachel rested her head on Quinn's shoulder. "I hope so."

"Tell him everything you're feeling and see what happens. At best he'll get it together and at worse he'll stay like this."

"At worst it could send him over the edge and he can decide he wants nothing to do with us," said Rachel. It wasn't in the dramatic way she usually used when describing extremes. Quinn could see that it was genuine fear.

"Since when did you become so cynical," the former blonde questioned.

"Since my daddy didn't magically get better and walk out of the hospital and live a normal existence like Marty Saybrooke on 'One Life to Live'," Rachel replied evenly.

"Didn't take you as a soap fan," Quinn said with an upward brow.

"I'm not," Rachel replied. "I was looking up information on Lupus a while back and the character name came up. I read the Wiki."

"Then you know she hardly lived a normal life," Quinn questioned.

"Didn't take you for a soap opera girl either," said the smaller girl.

"I'm not really. My mom used to record it. It was something to do together for mother daughter time."

"I'm sorry I brought the mood down. You sang the best song to me and I'm here being all whiny."

"You aren't being whiny, babe. You're being honest about how you feel. That's what I want from you," she said before placing a kiss on Rachel's head.

Rachel snuggled into her girlfriend, enjoying the warmth between them. She had come to rely on this feeling quicker than she would have thought. It hadn't been that long but she couldn't help but believe that this had been building for a while. She wanted to hold on to this for as long as she could. "Do you still want to go to NYU," she asked with a little trepidation. Despite the song Quinn had just sung to her, she still had that fear that Quinn would move on in another direction after high school. She wanted the best for her girl but it would still hurt if the best didn't involve her.

"That's still a possibility," Quinn confirmed. "So are Yale and Columbia. Thank goodness my GPA speaks for itself," she chuckled. "Otherwise none of those schools would look at me twice once they saw the hair, much less the nose ring."

"Your brilliance has nothing to do with the way you look."

"And I am brilliant," Quinn joked.

"And beautiful," the brunette added.

"Well I better be," Quinn laughed. "I can't go around being ugly when I have such a hot girlfriend."

"Flattery will only get you laid," jested the smaller girl.

"In that case, after glee I plan to flatter you at your place until I have to go home," Quinn said cheekily.

Rachel let out a small snort. "Why Quinn Fabray, I do appreciate your new found willingness to do some pleasing along with your teasing."

"Well you know, some little loud mouth once screeched on about the fact that girls want sex just as much as boys. Turns out she actually knew what she was talking about for once," the former blonde jested.

"So much for your flattery points," Rachel drawled, rolling her eyes.

"Awe, babe, don't be mad. If I told you I have some big plans for V-day will that get my points back?"

"I suppose," Rachel said chirpily, perking up. "I too have some ideas."

* * *

><p><strong>The next chapter will be super flufftasticlly, teeth rottingly sweet. No drama or emotional roller coasters…. It's already been started.<strong>

**Thank you for taking time to read. If you want to take a little more time to review, then I would be most delighted. **


	16. My Funny Valentine

**Title:** When Secrets Come Out to Play

**Chapter 16/?** : My Funny Valentine

**Fandom:** Glee  
><strong>Pairings: <strong>Rachel Berry /Quinn Fabray Side Brittany/ Santana Rachel/Others minor Quinn/OC  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 for sexual themes and eventual smutt.  
><strong>Word Length<strong>: 2000+ per chapter.  
><strong>Spoilers: <strong>All aired episodes, only a few things from season three as it's AU for the most part. **NO LUCY CABOOSY!**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "Glee" because if I did I'd have a lot more cash to work with and the show would somehow be even gayer. I don't own "The Wizard of Oz" and I surely don't own the song "Smooth" because Rob Thomas and Carlos Santana rocked it first.

**Thanks to t8kmybreathaway/LadyHawke69 for doing great beta work.**

**I love you all for putting this story on alerts and favorites. For all that take time to review, you make me smile like crazy. **

* * *

><p>The conversation had between Hiram, Rachel, and Lorna seemed to have gone well, though Hiram wasn't moving back into the house. He promised to make himself more available to his daughter and niece and explained to them that when they left for the Big Apple, he'd be joining. Hiram was pretty much living off of a life insurance policy and what was left of his savings. He was a popular freelance writer and just managed to get back to it after his longtime hiatus. Leroy's health had taken precedence over work ever since they had made the trek to LA. Quinn wasn't completely sure about everything discussed but what she did know was that her girlfriend called her after that meeting with genuine happiness in her voice. By the time Quinn saw her in person, she could see in the brunette's eyes that she was happier with the situation.<p>

The girls of the house were scrambling to get ready for their prospective dates. Quinn had opted to come over and prepare a little with Lorna, Dylan, Santana and Farah while Rachel, Brittany, and Dakota were out helping Erin and getting ready at her apartment after they helped out Quinn by setting up some of the last details of her date. Quinn had found a nice balance with her look for the night. She still got to keep up with her new look but managed to make it somewhat formal as well. She was wearing a sleeveless black dress with pink polka dots splayed across the fabric, a black belt gracing her midriff. Her shoes were black with pink sculls. She still wore a cross around her neck but it didn't take away from the black roses on her ears or the little black handbag that was going to go with the ensemble.

"Looking good, pinkette wonder," Dylan nudged at the former blonde. "You gonna keep that thing on all night?"

"I make no promises," Quinn replied wistfully as she applied her lipstick.

"We all know that thing isn't staying on you for too long," Farah joked, pointing to Dylan's red cocktail halter dress.

"Probably not," was the shameless reply. "It'll be on about as long as yours will be."

Farah did a little spin in her green strappy mini dress. "I'll make it through dinner first though," she winked at the blonde.

"You got me there," Dylan shot back.

"You two are shameless," giggled Quinn. "And I swear it's spreading because I'm just as messed up as the two of you now. The only one in this room with any sense is Lorna."

Lorna smiled wide into the mirror at Quinn. "Oh, whatever," Dylan chuckled. "Don't let that innocent smile and the cute purple gown fool you. She'll be all over Erin tonight."

"Awe, honey, are you worried about the preservation of my virginity?" Lorna mock cooed.

"Please, your virginity's been dead and buried in that idiot Tommy Lambert's basement for four years," Dylan shot back with giddiness.

"At least hers _has_ a final resting place," Farah cut in. "I'm pretty sure yours is still riding around in a Ford truck somewhere."

"It was a Chevrolet, thank you very much," the trans-girl laughed with false indignation. "And I do believe yours took the plunge in a janitor's closet at your snooty little private school with an equally snooty little trick."

"Yes it did, and she was," Farah answered proudly.

"I'm starting to feel much better about losing mine in a nice quiet bedroom, even if it was to Puckerman," Quinn said in between her snickers.

"We're worse than guys sometimes," Lorna pointed out. "Like seriously. My boy brain is trying to make an appearance now."

"Well tell the dude to go back and hide because you look way too girly for that," Dylan laughed.

"Okay then," the darker girl relented. "Come tweeze my eyebrows and I'll rein him in."

"Good, because I think Erin wants to run the show," Dylan added. "Now sit your pretty ass down so we can clean those eyebrows up a bit." Lorna went to sit on Dylan's bed while the blonde procured the tweezers from her makeup case.

"Puck got all of the Unholy Trinity's cherries," Santana finally spoke up, looking up from her _Vogue Magazine_.

"Damn cherry picker," Farah laughed.

"If I had known that was the initiation fee I would have passed it up."

"Yet you kept going back," Quinn giggled.

"Yeah well denial's a twisted little bitch. At least you had the sense to leave him alone after one go," Santana chuckled in her dark blue cocktail dress.

"Something about the crappy nine months that followed gave me pause," Quinn joked, with a hint of bitterness but not enough to ruin the mood. "You were kind of quiet there for a minute, San. I was getting worried."

"Britts and I love our sexy times but tonight we're gonna keep it to lady kisses," Santana said, causing the rest of the room to become silent. "What," she barked a little indignantly. "I might like sex but this is the first V-Day I get to spend with my girl being … my girl. I love her. It's not all about sex."

"Well damn," Dylan declared.

"She's…" that was Farah.

"Santana Lopez is an adult," Quinn said with a little bit of awe.

"A pretty cool one at that," Lorna added.

"Hell yeah, bitches," Santana laughed. "I'm the coolest chick you'll ever know."

"Did you decide what movie to watch with Rach?" Lorna asked Quinn from where she was sitting, trying not to tear up at the feeling of the little hairs being removed.

"I was thinking about '_The Wizard of Oz'_. We both like classics and there is the whole musical element to it," replied the blonde.

"I still love that movie," Lorna smiled.

"That whole thing is a crock," Farah grumbled.

"What, '_The Wizard of Oz'_?" the pink-haired girl questioned.

"The movie's all well and good I guess but that Glinda is a bitch," the waitress replied.

"You're mistaken," Quinn went to correct. "Glinda is the good witch. She helps Dorothy get home in the end."

"Exactly," Farah stressed. "In the end! She had that girl traveling through the woods, getting chased by flying monkeys and a green psychopath, falling into opium induced haze…."

"Wait, when was she in an opium induced haze?" Lora quarried as if offended.

"The poppies," Farah said plainly. "That's where opium comes from. They took one little stroll through them and they were so high they couldn't stay awake."

"I question your sanity some times," Dylan joked.

"I question yours every day," was returned.

Santana laughed out, "I think we all be some cray cray bitches. Anyway back to your little good witch bashing."

"Oh yeah, well she had Dorothy freaking out trying to get to some phony wizard. Then, she has to go commit murder for him, only to be let down when it was just some dude who duped everyone. He offers her a ride on a hot air balloon and ends up leaving without her. So now the kid is all distraught and upset that she'll never get back home and all of a sudden this Glinda tells her she's had the power to go home the whole time. Just to click her heels and say, 'there's no place like home.' She couldn't have saved the kid all that trouble and told her from jump?"

"I think I'm seeing your point," Santana said thoughtfully.

"Why must you go and screw with a perfectly good classic?" Lorna tried not to laugh as she was still getting tweezed.

"I still love the movie but now I won't see Glinda in the same light," Dylan admitted. "Girl, if you don't quit squirming you're gonna end up looking like you're permanently surprised," she fussed at the black girl.

"You do know you have to do a hell of a lot more to a poppy seed to get the same effects as opium, right," Quinn sassed. "I mean how do you explain that we don't get high when we eat them in food?"

"It shows up on drug tests," Farah defended.

"I've heard of that, but your logic is still faulty."

"Okay, enough of that," the Latina cut in, now getting annoyed with the conversation. "Hey Blondie, will you pluck mine next?"

"You pluck chickens, S," Dylan chided. "I'll _tweeze_ you next."

"Yeah, yeah, whateves," Santana rolled her eyes and went back to her magazine.

* * *

><p>Quinn ended up picking her girlfriend up from Erin's. All the girls ended up meeting up at the house before their personal dates. Dakota and Farah were going to have a private thing at the Berry house, while Erin was taking Lorna down to Dayton overnight where they would be having dinner and seeing a show. Antonio managed to rent out a small restaurant months earlier and was having a private dinner with Dylan with plans at staying at a local hotel afterwards. If the two managed to make it out of the room at all, Dylan was also going to be treated to a spa treatment the next day. Santana was taking Brittany to dinner and a movie, but the next day she planned on taking her girl to the petting zoo and then to a local pet shop because Brittany liked to play with the kittens and puppies, even if Lord Tubbington didn't approve of her cheating on him with newer, thinner models.<p>

Quinn led Rachel into the Lima community theatre, which she procured for the night by using a little blackmail on Coach Sylvester. How the woman managed it, she wasn't sure but she really didn't care at this point.

Rachel loved the building. It was the first real stage she could remember ever being on. Her eyes were wide with excitement when she looked around the empty building.

"Why Quinn Fabray, are you trying to seduce me by way of the stage?" she giggled in her revelry.

"I was definitely thinking about it," Quinn said honestly. "But then I remembered that you have a history of kissing our ex on stages and thought better of it."

Rachel thought about it for a second. "Wise choice," she replied in understanding.

"We are going back stage," said the former blonde, tugging her girlfriend along.

Rachel had been everywhere in that place. She'd seen every aspect of the building, right down to the lighting room so this was all familiar. Though as she was guided towered the dressing room door, she was met with something quite new. In the center of the door was a shimmering gold star (made from a cardboard cutout and wrapped in shimmering gold wrapping paper, but it was totally the thought that counted) with her whole name written across it in black Sharpie marker.

"I wanted to do something a little more extravagant for it but I wasn't allowed to drill any holes in the door or anything," Quinn admitted.

"I think it's perfect," the little singer said, already acquiring that starry-eyed look she reserved for swoon worthy moments.

"Why don't we go into your dressing room Miss Berry?" Quinn said sweetly. The pink haired girl opened the door and stepped aside to allow her lover to walk through the door.

The brunette stopped in her tracks when she took in the appearance of the room; a room that she remembered to be bland. It had been used strictly for dressing and makeup, and even a little for storage but it never had any real flavor too it. But now, well the ugly pea green couch had been covered with a soft pink cloth. The vanity had a full set of lights, whereas the last time she had been in the room, a third of them were either burnt out, or simply missing. The chair to said vanity that had been your average fold out, was replaced with a plush pink stool with cushion to boot.

"Quinn this is amazing," the brunette vibrated with happiness.

"Have a seat at your vanity," replied the pink-haired beauty. "You are so gorgeous tonight. You should take another good look at just how much." She wasn't lying. Her girl was looking fabulous as ever with just a little extra spark. She had on a black strappy dress which fanned out at the skirt and had somewhat of a vintage feel, reminiscent of the Hollywood early 60's. With her hair up in a bun, with a few loose locks on either side, framing her face and complimenting her bangs just right. She reminded Quinn of Audrey Hepburn with her gold star earrings. The gold heels helped to complete the look.

"I think you're quite beautiful tonight," Rachel countered.

Quinn giggled. "I can see we are already one of _those_ couples. We are going to be trying to out complement one another forever."

Rachel laughed along with her love saying, "We better watch it around San, Farah, and D. They'll be all gagged out."

"I just found an even bigger bonus for complimenting you in their company," her partner replied with a devious grin. "Now if you'll just sit at your vanity please." She went and pulled out the plush chair for Rachel to sit in and her girlfriend readily obliged. "There's a little something I would love for you to sign for me." Rachel confusedly looked back at her girlfriend and squinted her eyes. "Check the drawer, there should be a Sharpie in there," she chuckled.

Rachel turned back around and opened the vanity drawer, where sure enough she found a black Sharpie. When she closed it and began to look up, she caught a glimpse of her girl reaching behind the couch. She turned around just in time to see her pulling out some kind of poster fixed on to cardboard. Quinn held it up to give her a full view. Rachel nearly lost her breath when she completely understood what was in front of her. It was a picture of her from Regionals from the year before; a shot that Miss Pillsbury had taken while they all took the stage. Around it there were four different pictures of Rachel in other performances fading in, all against a black backdrop. On the top it read in simple white letters, 'Metaphors are Important' And under the center image in smaller letters, were the words 'Staring RACHEL BERRY'.

"Oh my Barbara," the brunette shrieked in excitement. "You got me my very own playbill?"

"It's really amateur but…"

Rachel immediately cut her off, standing to her feet. "That is astounding, do you hear me? That means so much to me." She then surged herself forward and planted one right on her girlfriend's lips.

When they separated Quinn gasped out, "You still have to sign it." Rachel giggled and turned back to the vanity to grab the pen she had left behind. She enthusiastically signed before kissing her girl again.

"You're amazing."

"Well, I have just a little bit more planned for us. So perhaps you should sit on the couch while I go and get the remainder of my surprises in order," Quinn husked into her lover's ear.

"Alright," Rachel said happily. "I think I could do that." Quinn kissed her girlfriend on the forehead before walking out of the dressing room. It only took a couple of minutes for Quinn to return with a one of those big lunch pails that retain heat in them and her laptop bag. "What's this," the brunette questioned with excitement.

"This is the average dinner and a movie."

"I think this is anything but average," Rachel said brightly, motioning to all that Quinn had already done.

"But this part is," the former blonde smiled. "I wanted to cuddle up with you and watch the '_Wizard of Oz'_. At least I did until Farah started in on it," Quinn playfully huffed.

"Oh god, did she go off on a tangent about Glinda again," Rachel looked to her girlfriend with embarrassing laughter.

"Yes, but I wasn't deterred," her lover answered.

"Good. I refuse to let her ruin a classic for me."

"I also had the girls pick up an order from New Eden and leave it here for us," Quinn smiled.

"Baby, you are amazing," Rachel looked at her in awe. Quinn loved that look. There had been times in the past that the other girl had looked at her with a type of awe, however, back then it was more the look that the a girl got when she saw something she wished she could be. Now it was this look like she was a superhero sent just for Rachel and Quinn couldn't help but love the feeling it gave her.

"You're pretty amazing yourself, superstar," Quinn answered. "Now you want to fire up the laptop while I get the food all served up?"

"Of course."

Quinn found that she rather enjoyed the crispy seitan stir-fry and the side of oven roasted garlic squash. It was flavored well enough and she didn't exactly have to have meat at every meal. The vegan chocolate cupcakes were pretty good too.

Despite Farah's stance on Glinda, the girls still enjoyed the movie and of course, Rachel sang along to every song and mouthed most of the words. Quinn joined her from time to time.

At 9:30 Quinn began packing things up, except for her laptop, that is. Someone would be around to lock up at ten, though she still had one more thing up her sleeve.

"I have one more thing for you before we go," Quinn said gently to her lover as they gathered the last of their things and set them on the vanity.

"What else could you possibly do, Quinn," Rachel asked with wide grateful eyes. "You've done so much already. So much that I can't wait to show you how much I appreciate all of your efforts," she husked. "All of your very successful efforts."

"Just one more and I will gladly let you thank me," Quinn smirked.

Rachel giggled and sat back down on the couch while Quinn scanned through some songs in her laptop. "I know I'd probably typically use the stage for this, especially since we have a nice empty one out there but I don't want to feel like I'm singing to a big audience. I want this to be something that's just for you. Mind, body, and soul." Her lover nodded with a huge grin, knowing she was going to be serenaded again. "I know we only vaguely talk about our future. I know where you're going and I have an idea of where I'm going with my life."

"Quinn, you are going to be amazing at whatever you do. Even if you need to be away from me to get there," Rachel said a little frantically from hearing the last words the blonde uttered.

"The furthest I'm going to be away from you is New Haven, Rach," Quinn assured. "I promise it isn't all about you. Yes a major part of it is, but NYU, Columbia, and Yale; Rachel those are my dream schools. I didn't think I'd be able to go to any of them for a long time. I thought my future was here being some former high school football star's wife."

"You can be anything," Rachel cut in with conviction. "You have all the qualities in a person to get you to wherever you want to be."

"I know that now. You made me believe that. You're the first person to do that actually," the blonde said truthfully. "I plan to. But it doesn't hurt that I'll be close to you while I'm getting there. I feel like I need to be near you. It sounds overly dramatic because we're only eighteen and it's crazy for me to think about the future together like this …"

"No it's not. I don't want you to throw away any dreams you have for yourself because of me, however, that doesn't mean I don't think about what we could be in the long run. You deserve everything wonderful in this world. Of course I want to be with you when you get it."

"So do you. I would do anything to help give you the world. I want you to know that. I have a song that I want to sing to express that."

Rachel blushed, while her girlfriend started the music. Rachel's lips immediately managed to curl up even wider as she heard the opening music filter through the room.

Quinn rolled the chair to the vanity to sit right in front of the shorter girl. She sat up straight and began to deliver the words.

**Man it's a hot one  
>Like seven inches from the midday sun<br>I hear you whisper and the words melt everyone  
>But you stay so cool<br>My muñequita, my Spanish Harlem Mona Lisa  
>You're my reason for reason<br>The step in my groove**

It was slower than the version she knew. The music, although prerecorded was done on acoustic guitar. Quinn's voice was just as the song title, smooth like liquid velvet; just enough rasp and emotion coating each word.

**And if you said this life ain't good enough  
>I would give my world to lift you up<br>I could change my life to better suit your mood  
>Cause you're so smooth<strong>

She was holding Rachel's hands, because something about singing from her heart to the other girl made her want physical contact. Gosh this girl had turned her into a sap and she almost didn't care.

**And it's like the ocean under the moon  
>Well that's the same as the emotion that I get from you<br>You got the kind of lovin' that could be so smooth  
>Give me your heart<br>Make it real  
>Or else forget about it<strong>

It was obvious her girl was swooning where she sat and Quinn smirked at all the bonus points she was racking up. Yeah, she may have felt sticky from all the sap she had been oozing but who wouldn't be proud of themselves for being the one to put such an awed look on their girlfriend's face?

**Well I'll tell you one thing  
>If you would leave it be a crying shame<br>In every breath and every word  
>I hear your name calling me out<br>Out from the barrio, you hear my rhythm on your radio  
>You feel the turning of the world so soft and slow<br>Turning you round and round  
><strong>  
><strong>And if you said this life ain't good enough<br>I would give my world to lift you up  
>I could change my life to better suit your mood<br>Cause you're so smooth  
><strong>

**And it's like the ocean under the moon  
>Well that's the same as the emotion that I get from you<br>You got the kind of lovin' that could be so smooth  
>Give me your heart<br>Make it real  
>Or else forget about it<strong>

Or let's forget about it

"I was already going to put out, Fabray," Rachel chuckled through a few stray tears.

"I know," Quinn joked back. "But I wanted to make sure there were no chances of you changing your mind."

"You're too good to me," Rachel said lovingly before placing a soft kiss onto her lover's lips. When they parted Rachel whispered into her ear. "If I wasn't so astounded by you, I'd feel jealous that your gift was so much more elaborate than mine."

"It's not a competition, baby," the former Cheerio replied softly.

Rachel smiled but it didn't cover the mild panic in her voice, "I know but I wanted to do something special for you. You always do things for me and you deserve so much more from me. I'm going to be better I promise."

Quinn went to hug her girl fully. "Hey, you're doing great. You have so much going on, Rach."

Rachel sniffled. "So do you, Quinn. I know you have so much to deal with on top of my stuff and we're always dealing with my issues."

"You ask me about my feelings every day, Rach. You show that you love me in all the ways that count. We'll deal with both of our crap but tonight it's just us okay. You and me."

Rachel nodded with a soft grin. "We better get packed up and out of here."

* * *

><p>When they got back to the house it was fairly quiet. Other than some sounds coming from Farah and Dakota's room. The teens giggled as they tiptoed past the door and into Rachel's bedroom.<p>

Once in the privacy of Rachel's room the shorter girl implored the other to sit on the bed while Rachel went to her dresser drawer and pulled out a little green box and a folder to accompany it. "Okay," she began nervously. "So this isn't quite the romantic gesture as yours was but it means something big for me." She sat down next to the former blonde and handed over the pink folder.

The front of the folder said, in large bedazzled letters, "Rachel Barbra Berry's Future Goals".

Quinn let out a little chuckle of fondness before saying, "I've heard of the infamous life plan."

"It's more my hopes and dreams than anything. I mean I know I say things like there is no room for margin, however, one thing I've learned in the last couple of years is that life can change things in a bat of an eye. I love to preform but I can be realistic about certain provability's."

"Rach, if anyone could do it it's you," the former Cheerio said with honest conviction.

"I love your faith in me," Rachel smiled bashfully. "Even when things were rocky between the two of us, you still believed in me."

"There is no denying talent like yours, babe. And you believed in me quite a bit too so I think we're even on that one."

"Maybe," the smaller girl giggled. "I do believe that I am rather capable of proving myself when it comes to the stage, though I also recognize that what Lima Ohio considers extraordinary can be seen is mediocre when it comes to New York. There are going to be thousands of girls that were the best back home. I fully intend to do what I love but I realize that it may take longer than I had previously hoped and I am okay with that."

Quinn quirked an eyebrow, "That was mighty humbling Miss Berry."

"Don't be too proud of me. I'm taking this last year to just be, but once I get to New York I will be ready to cut a bitch if they get in my way." They both laughed at Rachel's declaration. When she caught her breath she added. "Alright I guess I'll leave the gangster speak to San and D."

"Good idea."

"Anyway," Rachel began again. "I wanted you to see this. Turn to page seventeen if you will." Quinn complied with the request and flipped the pages, mildly scanning some of the cut outs and inspirational phrases as she did so.

"Make high school friendships through Glee Club," Quinn read. "Show that I can be a real friend despite my penchant for being self-absorbed when it comes to the spotlight," was written under the first sentence, followed by, "Share the spotlight." The words had an arrow pointing to them leading to a little note in the corner of the page that read, "Baby steps." Quinn had the chuckle at that. It was kind of adorable to her that her Rachel had been trying so hard to prove herself to her fellow Glee-mates in the past. Quinn read along the page seeing random sentence and arrows to the corners of the page and some random sticky notes amending some of the goals. She managed to get through some notes about Finn and Jesse as well, but they were minor. Finally, she got to one that read, "Be friends with Quinn." Only to have a line through it and a little note on the side of it that said, "Be there for Quinn if she needs me." Then a sticky not under it that said, "Show Quinn you care."

Rachel watched her girlfriend nervously as she read over the page. "I wrote that throughout sophomore year. The next page is a continuation and then there are a couple pages that have been ripped out because they involved Finn and Jesse in greater detail. If you skip the next page, which is more about my friendship with Noah, you can see where junior year begins. "

Junior year had more pages than sophomore year. It started off with a lot of scratched out notes involving maintaining a relationship with Finn and then there were plots and plans to get him back leading to acceptance of their breakup and Rachel's renouncement of boys all together. Quinn noticed that nearly everything she was reading was tied to Glee in some way. She hadn't seen the section where Rachel was making career goals and what not. Though when Quinn came across the part that said, "Show Quinn that she is more than Lima," along with a sticky not added that said, "Show Quinn that she is more than a pretty face," she nearly cried. Even when Rachel was trying to get her ex back and away from Quinn, she had been thinking about her. After slapping her at prom, Rachel was still concerned with Quinn's self-esteems.

Seeing the look in the pink-haired girl's eye, Rachel requested that she turn two more pages where on the top of the page, in bright pink letters, were the words, "Show Quinn how much I love her".

"There are other things but I figure that's enough for now," Rachel said gently as she began to rub the other girl's back. "I just wanted you to see that you have always been on my mind one way or another. I've always cared."

"I'm a lucky girl," Quinn replied honestly. She wiped away a few tears and kissed the brunette on her cheek.

"You are, but so am I," Rachel mused sweetly. "I also got you this." She traded the binder for the green box in her hand and allowed Quinn to take hold of the gift. Quinn stared at the object in her hands for about forty-five seconds before an impatient Rachel said, "You gonna open that or just stare at it with your gorgeous eyes?"

Quinn chuckled at the comment and then went to open the box. Her heart swelled when she saw it. It was a simple silver necklace with the word 'PRETTY' written in cursive in the center. She smiled at it as Rachel explained her reasoning. "It isn't because I think you're pretty…I mean I do but if I were to give you that for that reason I would have gotten one with the word 'beautiful' or, 'stunning', or something. I picked it because…well it's kind of our thing. Our first duet was 'I Feel Pretty/Un-pretty 'so I thought it would make sense," she spouted nervously. "I… uh... it made better sense when I decided to get it," she admitted.

Quinn reached over and hugged her girl with everything she had. "It makes perfect sense, baby. It makes beautiful sense."

"I got one for both of us actually."

"Even better."

Quinn was well aware that a lot of their relationship had sped along. They seemed to have more angst than necessary and it was likely to continue considering all that was going on with their lives, however, she was surprisingly not afraid. Sure she was worried about her mother's reaction, and the Shelby and Beth stuff was looming over their heads but they had a future in their grasp.

* * *

><p><strong>Alright, so I have a thing about clichés but I hope I added enough originality and fluff to make it work. Please let me know how it worked for you wrapped up in a little or big review if you have the time. Thanks for taking the time to read. <strong>


	17. Got to Get You into My Life

**Chapter 17/?** : Got to Get You in to my Life

**Fandom:** Glee  
><strong>Pairings: <strong>Rachel Berry /Quinn Fabray Side Brittany/ Santana Rachel/Others Quinn/OC  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 for sexual themes and eventual smutt.  
><strong>Word Length<strong>: 1000+ per chapter.

**Spoilers: **All aired episodes, only a few things from season three as it's AU for the most part.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "Glee", if I did either Faberry or Pezberry, oh what the hay, maybe even Fapezberry would be cannon. The Song, '_Kick Back_' is owned by the band **Sick of Sarah**. If you haven't heard it I encourage you to check it out. The band is pretty awesome too.

**A/N: All I can say is life has a way of kicking our butts but here I am with another chapter. Already working on the next. **

**Thanks to t8kmybreathaway/****LadyHawke69**** for doing some great beta work.**

* * *

><p>Valentine's Day had been a magical experience for everyone in the little group of rainbow love. For the first time in a long time, Rachel felt like it was okay to be happy. Rachel, Lorna and Hiram were meeting up regularly, which was progress. Thanks to Lorna, they also agreed to go to therapy together as well separately. It was something Rachel had done in the past, so she wasn't terribly appose to the idea. The timing of that agreement could not have been better, as Rachel found yet one more thing piled onto her already full emotional baggage.<p>

Mr. Shuester had asked them both that morning to come to the music room during their free period. Figuring it had something to do with glee, they both agreed, though the man could have warned them as to the real reason they had been summoned.

First, Quinn's eyes settled on Puck, who was sitting in the middle of the front row of the bleachers. He hadn't yet noticed her but the look in his eyes seemed pretty contemplative. Her eyes probably would have lingered on him a bit longer had she not been torn from her revelry when she heard Rachel icily ask, "What are you doing here?"

"Well," the woman who had previously gone unnoticed by Quinn began cautiously, eyeing her daughter. "I….. I wanted to talk to you all about that. Look, I wanted to talk to both of you," she looked from Quinn to Rachel then added, "and Noah before it became official."

"What's official," the former blonde asked.

"I'm going to be filling in for Mrs. Allot. She's having some complications with her pregnancy and she had to take maternity leave early."

"What does that have to do with us?" Quinn questioned. "None of us are in drama, oddly enough." One would think that Rachel would have taken up that class at some point.

"Yes, but I'm going to be around and I wanted you to hear it from me first. I also thought that maybe….. maybe you and Noah would like to spend time with Beth from time to time."

Quinn looked at the older woman, not quite sure how to respond. She most definitely wanted to spend time with her child. She had thought about ever since she saw that Shelby was back in town, but she couldn't help but be gob smacked at the moment.

"With all due respect, I don't think this conversation should include me. This really has nothing to do with me," Rachel spoke up, attempting to leave the room, but when she felt Quinn reach out and touch her shoulder she turned back around.

"When can we see her?" Puck eagerly asked.

"I was thinking maybe Sunday afternoon if that works for you. A couple of hours at my place."

"That be cool," the Jewish boy nodded, looking over to his two friends. "You in, Q?"

"Uh, yeah…. Yeah I'm in," the punk girl stammered.

"I do slightly worry about this new….. change with you, Quinn," the older brunette in the room voiced. "I've heard some….things. I need you to have yourself together if you're going to be in her life."

"Just because she changed her clothes and hair color doesn't mean she doesn't have her life together," Rachel quickly defended. "I don't know who you've gotten your information from but Quinn has a 4.0 GPA and she's applied to NYU, Columbia, and Yale!"

"Rach, it's okay," Quinn cut in, now rubbing her girlfriend's back. Part of her wanted to scoff at Shelby's words because here she was questioning her when Puck was not exactly known for being responsible in his own life.

"No," Rachel sternly replied, looking over to Quinn. She had lost some of the tension in her shoulders due to the pinkette's touch, though she was still visibly upset. "It's not okay for her to come here and dangle a relationship with your daughter in your face and then threaten to take it away because you're not how she left you."

"That's not what I'm doing, Rachel," Shelby quickly interjected. "I didn't mean it how it sounded. I just need to make sure that my daughter is safe."

"I wouldn't hurt her," Quinn said quietly.

"Of course she wouldn't," said Puckerman. "She might look like a real housewife of Reno these days but she has her shit together. I mean, yeah it was rough for a little while but it's all good now."

"I wasn't trying to imply that you would do anything directly to hurt her," she said in effort to reassure the biological mother of her daughter. "I just…"

"So Sunday afternoon then," Quinn interrupted.

Shelby knew well enough to let it alone. The last thing she wanted to do was upset anyone. She wasn't sure how it managed to get to this point so fast. "I'll let you know a definite time and address later on in the week."

"Thank you," Quinn replied, still a bit stunned from recent events.

"Yeah, thanks," added Puck.

"I was hoping to talk to you too, Rachel," Shelby said with a hopeful tone. "I heard about Ler…"

"Don't," the smaller girl said with abrupt finality. "Just don't. You have no right."

Seeing her girlfriend's continued discomfort Quinn again spoke up. "We need to be somewhere."

* * *

><p>"Rach," Quinn said cautiously from beside her on the auditorium stage. "Do you want to talk about it?"<p>

"I apologize for raising my voice but she had some nerve implying that you weren't perfectly safe to be around your daughter," Rachel hissed. "Just because she…"

"Just because she what, baby?"

"She may not have wanted me, but you aren't her. You wouldn't turn your child away."

"I never could," Quinn admitted, for the first time hearing the actual hurt in Rachel's voice.

"How are you feeling about this, Quinn?" the brunette asked.

"Honestly I'm scared. I'd never turn a chance to be in her life away but I'm scared that I may not be good enough for her."

"Quinn, don't let her make you doubt yourself," was returned. "You're an amazing person. Sure, you have your problems but so does everyone. You deserve to know Beth and she deserves to know you."

"I hope so," said Quinn before kissing Rachel's cheek. "Would you feel comfortable going with me to see her?" she said quietly, not looking her girlfriend in the eye.

"You'd really want that?" asked the little diva.

"If you're okay with it, yes." She chanced a glance at the other girl.

Rachel had a shy smile on her face. "I'd be honored," she replied with genuine wide eyes. "I'd love to share that experience with you. We should probably ask Noah how that works for him, though."

Quinn chuckled at that. "Do you really think he'll object to his Jewish Princess being around to see him reunite with his daughter?"

Rachel giggled. "Probably not but still; he may want that to be something private between the two of you and Beth."

"And Shelby," Quinn added.

"I suppose she'd have to be present," Rachel said, now without a hint of emotion.

"Rachel, if going with us is going to hurt you, I won't hold you to it. I'll understand."

"Don't be ridiculous, baby," Rachel replied. "I won't let anything get in the way of me being there when you get to see your daughter again."

* * *

><p>It was Friday when Shelby finally got up the courage to seek Quinn out again. Again she had Mr. Shuester relay a message for her to come see her; this time in the theater.<p>

"You know, Mr. Shuester isn't your personal messenger," Quinn said as she went to sit in one of the audience chairs next to the teacher. There was no malice in her voice but she was curious as to why Shelby just didn't come and find her herself.

"I know," Shelby answered. "It was just easier that way. I just wanted to see if my place around three on Sunday works for you. I've already gotten the okay from Noah."

"Yeah that works. Even if it didn't I'd make it work," Quinn replied. "You could have just had Puck pass it along," she added with suspicion.

"I may have wanted some time to talk to you privately," the brunette admitted.

"Look if this is about you thinking I'm a bad influence on Beth I…"

Shelby cut Quinn off. "I actually wanted to talk about Rachel." She looked shy and a little ashamed as she said it, to which the former blonde felt was well deserved.

"I don't feel comfortable with that. Anything you want to know about her you need to ask her about."

"Quinn, she won't even talk to me. She avoids me like the plague," Shelby said with an unwavering voice.

Quinn looked hard at the woman. She had to play nice if she wanted to see her daughter but it didn't mean she had to completely sugar coat things. "You hurt her. I'm not exactly sure what happened but from what I've gathered you rejected her in some way and then replaced her with Beth, the daughter of a girl that was always pretty awful to her." Quinn didn't like going back into all of that, but she had to make the point. "Why exactly would she open herself up to that kind of hurt from you again?"

"She's opened herself up to you it seems, so apparently she knows how to forgive," Shelby returned, with a hint of envy in her voice.

Quinn squared her shoulders. She couldn't exactly get mad because she was the one who started down this road. "People think that just because Rachel forgives, she forgets too. She tries not to hold it over people's heads but the girl still remembers it all. She has bitter moments here and there. She's even had them with me."

"Are you and she….. are..you…."

"Yes," Quinn stated," saving Shelby the extra awkwardness of having to finish her question. "But only so many people know."

"I gave Noah my address. He should be able to send it to you."

"Thanks. Can she come too?" Quinn asked nervously.

"Sure." Though Shelby tried to hide her newly uplifted spirit in her reply, the glint in her eye was unmistakable. Quinn figured it was much like her own at the thought of seeing Beth. The older woman got up and left the theater.

* * *

><p>Quinn was happy when Friday night came and Rachel hadn't backed out of singing, which may or may not have had to do with the majority of the glee club showing up. She hadn't sung at the parties since Leroy had passed on, much to the disappointment of many, but tonight she was going to shine like she was meant to. She, Santana, and Puck all laughed at the faces their fellow Gleeks were making as they looked around the room at the party goers. The trio felt kind of smug at have been let in on all of this before the rest while Brittany was just happy their friends could join and see Rachel in a way they hadn't before.<p>

Puck and Santana made sure that everyone knew where to find the beer, in which everyone except for Kurt and Blaine chose to indulge in. They were the designated drivers.

"Well if it isn't McKinley high school's finest," Farah cackled as she approached with Dylan, their own beers in hand. "Come to hang out with the big kids?" she went on to joke.

"We heard this was the hot spot to be," Artie spoke up from his place by the stage.

"You heard right," Dylan chuckled. "This place will rock your world in ways it's never been rocked before," she giggled. "But I gotta go find my little man so have fun kiddies." She winked at the boy in the wheel chair before turning and went on about her usual business.

At some point Lorna and Erin had come by to make their rounds but they were soon going over at the DJ booth with Dakota.

"This is kind of insane," Tina spoke loudly over the music as she danced with Mike.

"I know, right," was her boyfriend's reply.

Finn was standing awkwardly to the side of the stage conversing with Kurt and Blaine, while Mercedes and Sam danced with one another. Brittany and Santana were grinding on the dance floor as per usual, leaving Puck and Quinn to bob to the music side by side as Farah danced next to Artie. The pink-haired girl was somewhat relieved when the music began to go down and Dakota's voice began to fill the room.

"Hey there my lovely ladies," the DJ said huskily. "And a few of you gentlemen who decided to brave it in this sea of estrogen." There was laughter for a few second before she went on. "So tonight we're going to celebrate. We've had some sad times in our personal lives and one of our favorite girls hasn't been able to grace us with her awesome performances for a while." There were some stirrings in the crowed in confirmation of what they'd been missing. "But tonight she's back. Give it up for Rach B and show her how much you missed her sexy little ass." The crowd cheered and most of the members on New Directions were in awe of the overwhelming excitement they were seeing. Yes, they'd seen Rachel receive standing ovations after a performance but never this much excitement in anticipation.

They were getting used to Rachel branching out, but most of the glee clubbers were shocked when they started hearing the open strums of guitar and drums. When they got a load of the Jewish girl as she made her way onto the stage that shock somehow went right up to dumbfounded.

Rachel was wearing a pair of black skinny jeans with dark blue sneakers and a blue Tank top that read 'Live Free'. Her hair was wavy and free and she wore a little sexy smirk. She looked like she was most definitely in her element as she gripped the microphone and jerkily swayed her hips as her top half did a little shimmy. They'd heard from Britt, Santana, and Puck that Rachel was someone else when she sang there, but even with all of the changes they'd seen in her this year, they hadn't expected to see Rachel like this and she hadn't even begun to sing. Though that didn't last long as she was now delivering the first lines of a song none of them really knew. It was odd how the way they reacted sent tingles up Quinn's spine. It was fun seeing their reactions.

**So we'll be taking our time.****  
>You know the backseat lovers<br>Want to watch you fall.  
>Turn it over to the flip side,<br>Looking for your answers.  
>Your route to crawl.<strong>

She removed the microphone from the stand walked over to the left hand side of the stage, running a hand through her flowing locks and cheekily gave a flirty look to some girls, who in Quinn's opinion were acting like annoying groupies.

**And you'll tell all your friends  
>You met a little someone special<br>Who likes to dance.**

She rolled her hips to punctuate the lyrics.

**Oooooo but they'll be waiting for the kickbacks,  
>Ripping on the rejects<br>They call their friends.**

She wasn't there long though. She quickly made her to the other side of the stage and narrowed her eyes on her high school teammates. She gave a flirty little smile to Quinn, who promptly blushed at the obviousness of her girlfriends sultry brown eyes.

**And we sang, (ohhhhh)  
>No it's not that we can't feel, (ohhhh)<br>We're just hoping that it's real. (ohhhh)  
>And it's not a place in time,<br>We're just hoping that you'll find  
>Something we might have left behind.<strong>

She took a little moment to dance around in her spot, taking advantage of the punk-girl rock vibe.

**And you know it's better in the back.  
>And you're waiting for me. Ooooo<br>And I'll give anything you'll ask of,  
>Anything you wanted,<br>As long as it's free.**

**Oh and I'll tell all of my friends**  
><strong>I met a little someone special<strong>  
><strong>Who likes to dance.<strong>  
><strong>Ooooo But they'll be waiting for the kickbacks,<strong>  
><strong>Rippin' on the rejects<strong>  
><strong>I call my friends<strong>.

She reached down and slapped hands with Artie and then went on to do the same with Mike and Sam.

**And we sang, (Ohhhh)**  
><strong>No it's not that we can't feel, (Ohhhhh)<strong>  
><strong>We're just hoping that it's real. (Ohhhhh)<strong>  
><strong>And it's not a place in time,<strong>  
><strong>We're just hoping that you'll find<strong>  
><strong>Something we might have left behind.<strong>

Now she serenaded Puck blatantly and ran her free hand through his Mohawk before settling it on his forehead and gently pushing him away.

**Tell me do you like it?**  
><strong>Tell me do you like it?<strong>  
><strong>Tell me do you like it? (0hhh)<strong>

She breezily walked over to where Kurt and Blaine now stood next to Finn and sang to the three of them with a childish giddiness plastered on her face.

**It's not that we can't feel, (Ohhhh)**  
><strong>We're just hoping that it's real. (Ohhhh)<strong>  
><strong>And it's not a place in time, (Ohhhhh)<strong>  
><strong>We're just hoping that you'll find<strong>  
><strong>Something we might have left behind.<strong>

She gave a nod and a glance to each of the glee girls before looking right at Quinn and used her left index finger to summon her onto the stage. Quinn blushed but followed the implied request and hurriedly made her way up the small set of stairs to the stage.

**It's not that we can't feel, (Ohhhh)**  
><strong>We're just hoping that it's real. (Ohhhh)<strong>  
><strong>And it's not a place in time, (Ohhhh)<strong>  
><strong>We're just hoping that you'll find<strong>  
><strong>Something we might have left behind.<strong>

**When the former blonde made it up to** the stage, Rachel's left hand found her hip and she began to sway from side to side, eyes still pinned on Quinn with a cocky smirk on her face.

**It's not that we can't feel, (Ohhhh)  
>We're just hoping that it's real. (Ohhhh)<strong>

**And it's not a place in time, (Ohhhh)**  
><strong>We're just hoping that you'll find<strong>  
><strong>Something we might have left behind.<strong>

With that Rachel kissed her girlfriend on the cheek handed escorted her over to place the microphone back on the stand.

"Can't say I haven't missed this," Rachel said into the microphone over the round of applause, her arms still lazily sitting on Quinn's hip.

"You rock girl," some random chick hollered out.

"Glad to know that I could still rock your world after the time off," Rachel laughed as she clutched Quinn's waist a little tighter. "I want to give a shout out to New Direction," she beamed over at the group. "For most of them this is the first time that they've been to one of these things so show them how we do it!" The crowd again went in to applause and laughter. "Oh and for you straight ladies out there, there are few single guys over there that wouldn't mind your company," she chuckled. "Hands off the girls though, ladies," she warned. "They're all taken." She gave Quinn another look and the walked her off of the stage.

As she hit the stairs Puck came up to her and gave his Jewish friend a hug. "Thanks Rach, but seriously, you couldn't have told the girls that the first time I was here," he laughed.

"Noah, if there is any sign of a straight girl here you'll find her with or without my help. You're heat seeking missile," she jested back.

"I was hoping for some lingerie but that was rockin," Artie complimented.

"Thanks Artie," Rachel giggled as she finally removed her hand from the former blonde. "I'm glad you found it satisfactory."

"No Rachel Berry performance is simply satisfactory but that is a long way from show tunes and power ballads," this came from Mike.

Kurt cut in, "That sure was something Diva." The group all murmured agreements. "Though I'm not sure how I feel about your outfit of choice."

"I personally think it looks good," Tina spoke.

"I swear if she goes back to those fugly sweaters I'll set them on fire," Santana laughed.

"Please," Quinn cut in. "We all got on that train last year."

"Only because B pulled it off better," Santana retorted. "And let's face it, I make anything look good."

"Thanks for that Santana," Rachel laughed dryly, yet without malice.

"No prob," the Latina replied. "But hiding behind those sweaters did you absolutely no justice. Even I had to admit you looked pretty damn good during Britney week."

"I kind of miss them," Finn mumbled.

"You would," Santana scoffed.

"Good job, girl. That was definitely different," Mercedes finally spoke up.

Sam nodded along, "Pretty kick ass."

"You really were amazing," Blaine stated.

"Thanks guys," Rachel beamed. It was different than her normal adoration. This wasn't about being the best. It was about passion. Quinn was pretty sure they were all feeling high from it.

"Now that your done being awesome up there, come dance," Brittany excitedly bubbled and yanked Rachel away. They all laughed as Rachel allowed herself to be pulled away by Brittany.

"So who is she and what has she done with Rachel Berry?" Mercedes asked Quinn, who was still watching her girlfriend and her blonde friend dance. "I know we were warned and we've seen changes and all but that girl is…. I don't even know how to explain it."

"That girl is who she always was," Quinn answered. "We're just getting the privilege of finally seeing her."

"If we had met that girl from the beginning…." Mercedes left it open ended.

"I think we would have if most of us had given her half a chance back then," she admitted. "We're teenagers. Most of us don't want to put forth the effort to look past what's right in front of us."

"Guess not," the African American diva looked a little ashamed. "You know I used to think she always got her way because everyone was afraid to hurt her feelings or something," the girl admitted. "But I kind of realized how hard she worked for it when I had the spotlight this year."

"Your logic was off anyway, Cedes," Quinn said, looking at the girl who had once been like a sister; a girl she'd pretty much forgotten about once she had gone back to her old life after Beth. "Recent events not included, when has anyone been afraid to hurt her feelings at that school?"

"Okay, so a girl has to reach when she's feeling unappreciated and upset. We lie to ourselves to make ourselves feel better sometimes."

"Don't I know it," Quinn chuckled.

"So the two of you are really together and making it work, huh?"

"Yeah. We really are," the punk girl said contently.

"Didn't see it coming but hind sight is 20/20," she giggled back.

"I know we haven't really hung out in a while but do you think maybe we could do something next week?" Quinn got the nerve to ask. "I have many regrets but one of them definitely includes not keeping up a friendship with you. I mean, you were there for me. You gave me a place to stay and you were there when I had Beth. I sort of spent last year trying to erase the year before and it wasn't right of me to send our friendship with it."

"Rachel's rubbing off on you," Mercedes smiled.

"She really is," Quinn pretended to cringe.

"Good. You're happier these days. I like it and I'd love to hang out sometime, Quinn."

"Cool."

Eventually Quinn got involved in multiple conversations but was eventually distracted when Rachel came over to the group with another brunette in tow. Quinn shifted awkwardly until she saw Rachel approach Finn. "Finn, this is Harmony. Harmony, Finn. You two should talk." With that she turned to Quinn and asked, "Care to dance?"

Quinn grinned. "Let's go, Berry."

* * *

><p>"Baby Mama's reuniting day," Farrah chuckled after sitting in her seat.<p>

"Insensitive much," Dakota said from next to her.

Farah rolled her eyes. "I get it's a big deal and all but what's wrong with a little humor?"

"Because it isn't the slightest bit funny," said Rachel. "It is an emotional experience for Quinn."

"Emotional, yes but come on," Dylan defended Farah. "There is definitely humor in there. Rach, you're sexing it up with your somewhat little sister's biological mother. Tell me that's not a little funny?"

Rachel sat and though for a moment before letting out a little giggle, "Okay, so that's a little funny."

"Let's not forget baby daddy dated Rachel too," Santana just had to add.

"For like five minutes," Rachel grumbled.

"Still counts," replied the Latina. "But Britt and I both slept with him too so…"

"And then you all shared that Finn guy in some way or another," Farah added.

"That's an experience I could forget," Santana grimaced.

"I only had a date with him but it was pretty much just him paying for me and Santana to go on a date," Brittany helpfully added.

Quinn couldn't help but chuckle, "God, we're living a soap opera."

"A musical soap opera," Brittany corrected.

"A poorly written one," Lorna snarked.

"Bitch please," Santana laughed. "People wish they lived our lives."

"I seriously doubt that," Quinn cut in.

Brittany giggled, "I'm awesomeness and I have a hot girlfriend. I'd totes want to be me if I wasn't."

Santana kissed her girlfriend on the cheek and then said, "Same here."

"I used to want to be like Lord Tubbington but I really don't want a smoking habit, the meth was bad enough," Brittany said. For a moment the table went silent but soon Britt erupted in laughter and the rest of the table joined in.

"So are you excited," Erin asked when the table quieted. "I mean it's a big step."

Quinn continued to push around the eggs on her plate, but noticed Lorna nudge her girlfriend.

"It's fine, really," Quinn replied. "I'm anxious to see this person I created and it'll probably feel kind of weird but I'm ready."

"How about you, Rach," Lorna asked.

"I'm sure Beth is the cutest thing on earth," Rachel smiled. "I'm looking forward to meeting her."

"You know what I mean," said Lorna.

Rachel glared at her cousin, "It's fine."

"Put away the eye daggers before I remove them from your head," Dylan said warningly to the little brunette. "She's just worried about you."

"There is no need for it," Rachel said, somewhat apologetically. "Can you pass the fruit salad please?" Lorna reached over and handed over the fruit. "Thank you."

Quinn wanted to push but when it came to Shelby they both had so many emotions wrapped up in her. Shelby was Beth's mom and she had to cater to her in order to have face time with her daughter, even if she was now close enough to Rachel to be offended on her behalf. Then, there was that look of regret she'd seen on the woman's face and then the look of hope when she realized Rachel would be there when Quinn and Noah were seeing Beth. How could she begrudge the woman for realizing she really did want to know her child when she so desperately wanted to know her own? It really was a soap opera life.

"Shelby and I are a non-issue. This day is about Quinn, Noah, and Beth. I'm just lucky enough to be a part of it." It was said with finality and the subject was dropped. "Now let's finish up"

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for sticking it out with me guys. I know I'm not always consistent. I needed to address some things with Mercedes and Quinn because it annoyed me that the show didn't and I also had to correct Mercedes for what she had said about Rachel because that really made no sense when it was said.<strong>

**Next chapter will have some Shelby and Rachel discussion, Judy/Quinn talk, Faberry moments, and of course, Beth meeting.**

**I'm always up for some reviews. If you can I wouldn't mind getting thoughts on whether or not to incorporate some of the season four characters. I'm only subtly using season three's here and there so they'll be in the background even if they do make it in. **


	18. In My Daughter's Eyes

**Pairings: **Rachel Berry /Quinn Fabray Side Brittany/ Santana Rachel/Others minor Quinn/OC  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 for sexual themes and eventual smutt.  
><strong>Word Length<strong>: 2000+ per chapter.

**Title:** When Secrets Come Out to Play

**Chapter 18/?** In My Daughter's Eyes

**Fandom:** Glee

**Spoilers: **All aired episodes, only a few things from season three as it's AU for the most part. **NO LUCY CABOOSY!**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "Glee" because if I did I'd be sitting pretty on the cash front and Glee would manage to be somehow more gay. I own the Oc's for the most part, though Dylan owns her own pretty self. Nor do I own "Get The Party Started" because P!nk does.

**A/N: Cory Monteith's death was quite shocking and sad. While I stand by everything that I've ever said about Finn Hudson, the man that played him was a truly talented and wonderful human being. He made mistakes, as we all do as humans, and in the end it was tragic that his life ended so soon. He was bound for greater things. **

**Thanks to t8kmybreathaway/LadyHawke69 for doing the beta work.**

**A/N: Thank you all for alerts, faves, and reviews. I love you for sticking with me and my sporadic updates. **

* * *

><p>"Are you ready for this?" Rachel asked as Quinn sat looking at Puck's empty truck in the spot in front of them.<p>

"More than," replied Quinn. "I'm so nervous too, which I know is kind of crazy because she isn't even two but….. I just can't help it."

"It's okay to be nervous," the little brunette assured.

"Are you ready?" Quinn asked.

"I'm fine, Quinn," said Rachel. "This, for once, is not about me. This is about you Noah and Beth."

Quinn could see how hard her girlfriend was trying not to hijack the day for herself. The singer had her selfish moments, as she had been repeatedly told in the past, but considering they were all selfish in their own ways, it was kind of hypocritical for any of them to call her out on it. Either way, she was no worse than the rest of them. When taking the time to see it, the girl could be selfless in a lot of ways as well.

"You can't exactly ignore that Shelby is in there, Rach," said Quinn.

Rachel leaned over the barrier between the seats and kissed Quinn on the cheek before saying, "I have no intention of ignoring her. It would be rude to do that in her home; however, I am more concerned with meeting that little girl."

Quinn smiled at her girl. She believed Rachel believed what she was saying, but somehow she didn't think things were going to go the way Rachel planned. If Shelby was anything like Rachel, and had half the hope Quinn herself had to be in her child's life, the older woman was going to push at least a little and it was in Rachel's nature to push back when it came to emotions.

"Let's go," she continued to smile, before opening the driver's seat door. The two lovers stepped out of Quinn's vehicle, closing the doors behind them before meeting up again and intertwining their hands. It was Quinn that rang the doorbell.

Shelby opened the door with a warm smile, though it was mostly pointed toward her daughter. "Hi girls"

"Hi," Quinn answered.

"Shelby," the brunette nodded in acknowledgement.

The woman stepped aside, allowing the pair to enter the modest house and out of the late February cold.

"Thank you for this chance," Quinn said through her nerves.

"Thank you for giving me such an amazing gift," Shelby returned, genuinely.

The drama teacher collected the girl's coats revealing a simple pair of blue jeans and black t-shirt on Quinn and a blue jeans with a blue sweater on her daughter, though not one of an animal variety. Then the older woman led them to the living room area where Puck was holding Beth on the floor and playing with dolls of all things. Quinn's eyes settled on the scene and she'd be lying if she hadn't found it a beautiful one; Puck with his daughter that shared his skin tone and nose but with blonde curls and Hazel eyes, like hers only so much more beautiful than she could ever be, eagerly tugging at her doll's dress.

"Sup', Q, Rach." Noah beamed with all sorts of happiness that Quinn hadn't quite ever seen on the boy before. She was frozen in place, looking on in awe. She and Puck created that such perfection. For a moment she let herself imagine what it would be like if they could get the little girl back. She fantasized about setting Shelby up somehow to make it happen. But then she realized that it would make her a terrible mother to take the stability and bond her daughter had with Shelby away. She remembered that she had absolutely no rights to the girl anymore and even if she was bold enough to sabotage the woman successfully, she was merely considered a random eighteen year old high school girl in the eyes of the law. At best the toddler would be sent to a relative of Shelby's and at worst she'd be placed into foster care. Under zero circumstances would Quinn be given custody. So she expelled that though process aside and decided to be thankful that at least this way, she would be allowed to know her child.

"Go meet your daughter," Rachel nudged with a sweet smile on your face. So Quinn did just that, and Rachel watched as Quinn approached the little girl and her biological father.

"Thank you for allowing me to be here as support to Quinn and Noah," Rachel said politely, yet curt.

"Of course," said Shelby.

Rachel hung back and watched as her girlfriend introduced herself the little miracle. This is why Quinn could never hate Puck. She could never hate the guy that help make Beth, despite the circumstances or some of the irrational jealousy she'd occasionally feel toward him. Some part of her would always love him.

As the nerves inside of her calmed, she picked up another doll and played with her child and her child's father. They were almost like a little family. But then, something was missing. Something suddenly just wasn't right. That's when she realized Rachel wasn't at her side. "Rach," she spoke, looking over to her lover. "Would you like to meet Beth?"

"I'd love to," Rachel beamed as walked over to join them.

It was so surreal how life had a way of forcing happiness and pain simultaneously upon her. The tiny blonde's giggle ticked away at Quinn's heart in a way nothing else could. She was now able to string small words together and it was exciting to hear. She hated that she missed the first time her daughter spoke, turned herself over, crawled, walked and so on. It almost killed her when the girl loudly said, "Mama look," in reference to the doll's hair and Shelby had answered, "You're a great little hair dresser, baby," before bending down and kissing the girl on the cheek. If only if Beth could have been talking to her. She could only imagine how her girlfriend felt about it, though Rachel had her show smile, perfectly in place. Puck's smile was the hugest she'd ever seen, and it was real. She knew he wished he could have raised her and he probably hated missing her firsts as well, but Beth wasn't calling another man daddy so she assumed his heart-felt it differently.

They stayed for three hours, which just didn't seem like enough time, but it was what she got and she was grateful for it. Her head had been up in the clouds so much so that she couldn't be the one to drive away. After saying their goodbyes Rachel planted herself behind the wheel and drove them to Rachel's house. They sat outside of the house in the car for a little while before going into the house to be bombarded by inquiries from the others. She loved them but she needed a few more minutes.

"Thank you for going with me. I know it was a bit strange for you. Between Shelby and seeing me and Puck with Beth like that, it had to be."

Rachel grabbed Quinn's hands and lofted it to kiss her knuckles, then said, "Seeing the three of you was beautiful. I'll always want to see you two happy and Beth is gorgeous. She got the best of both of you."

"Do you… do you resent her?…. Beth I mean," Quinn asked quietly. It had been a fear she had, though she had expected to be met with a look of outrage at the mere mention of it. It worried her when she saw the guilty look in the brunette's eyes.

When she felt her resolve melt away, Rachel must have too because she then decided to answer. "No, not in the way you think. A part of me envies her but I don't resent that innocent little girl. I love her if for no other reason than that you and Noah made her. It hurts that Shelby didn't want me and then chose another child to love, but I can't put that on her. Shelby loves her keeps her safe. That's what matters. Let's not get into this. You were so happy. I want it to stay that way. Focus on that beautiful little girl we were just with," Rachel said, show smile full on in place.

She thought about it for a few moments before she agreed. She was right. For now she wasn't going to dwell on the things they lost, but rather revel in what they had.

* * *

><p>"How'd it go?" Farah asked as soon as the pair walked in the door.<p>

She was sure the smile on her face was pretty dopey but she didn't care. "She's amazing."

"Everyone knows that about me already, we're talking about meeting the Quick baby," Santana snickered.

"That little girl is the most adorable thing I've ever seen," Rachel beamed. "She's so well-behaved. She didn't cry one time while we were there and she's so smart," the brunette singer rambled. "She's the perfect blend of Quinn and Noah."

"Wow, Rach," Farah chuckled. "A person would think you were the girl's mother."

"It's her girlfriend's kid," Dakota spoke up. "Of course she thinks she's a perfect cutie."

"I may be bias but I assure you that doesn't make it any less true," the singer huffed.

"It's crazy to think I made something so… so…"

"Amazing," Lorna said when Quinn couldn't find the words, choosing to use the same word her friend had already used.

"Duh, Q," Brittany smiled. "Have you met you? Did you get pictures?"

"We sure did," Rachel bubbled.

"Then you best get showin' 'em off," Dylan playfully demanded as Rachel began reaching to get her phone from her pocket.

"Geeze, have some patience," Rachel giggled.

"Yeah, you know crazy blondie ain't so good at that and neither am I so gets to showin' some pics," Santana said impatiently.

Rachel surrendered her phone after accessing the pics she took and Quinn did the same with her own phone. She watched as her friends ooooo'd and aweeeed, over Beth, giving her a feeling of satisfaction.

"Someone's gonna break a lot of hearts," said Lorna.

"Break 'em, smash 'em, run 'em over, and then some," Dylan countered with mirth.

"So much for that lizard baby I was expecting," Santana smirked. "Looks like the smarmy part of Puckerman's genes didn't mess up the kid."

"That's just silly, San," said Brittany in all seriousness. "She's just a little baby; his jeans would be wayyyyyyyy too big for her. They were even too big for me when I tried them on the summer before sophomore year."

"You're right, Britt," Quinn cut in. "San's being silly."

"And the egg donor?" Farah asked looking over at Rachel.

"It was fine," the Rachel answered in a short clipped tone, though never losing her smile.

"Are you sure?"

"It was fine," she repeated herself, this time indicating that it wasn't up for discussion.

Not knowing exactly what to say, Quinn was relieved when Santana cut in by saying, "We all know Berry comes from a hardboiled egg now can we get back to Q's spawn? I'm still trying to figure out how Puckerman managed to make a kid that doesn't walk on all fours and beat on it's chest." Rachel seemed to be just as relieved at the diversion.

Dakota gave Farah a warning look and the subject was officially dropped.

"I was totally hoping for a duck, or maybe a dolphin baby but she's so much cuter," Brittany squealed.

* * *

><p>"Shelby was never meant to be my mom, she was a surrogate." Rachel said out of nowhere, as the two cuddled on her bead Monday evening. Quinn had spent some time with Mercedes earlier, which she really enjoyed. They'd even come up with an idea for a performance for glee later in the week; one for all of them. Though while she had a pretty good time, she was still happy to get back to Rachel's before she had to go home. "….And I was okay with that. I understood. I mean, yeah I always kind of wondered but I was alright with it. But then Jesse... he planted all of these thoughts in my head and that damn tape in my box of baby stuff," Rachel finally admitted out loud. "She put him up to it. She wanted me to find her so she wouldn't break the contract. He told me everything when he came back. I was hurt by it before but I had made my peace with it until he told me. She didn't just not want me. She wanted me until she met me. I wasn't good enough and then she went and got a baby she could love." Quinn's heart broke. She kind of wanted to slap the woman that had caused that hurt. "It was like every time someone teased me about my mother not wanting me was confirmed. I didn't really care about them before but when she walked away it just clicked." And there was the guilt.<p>

"Rach, people are assholes. I was an asshole."

"Quinn, I didn't say that to make you feel bad. It isn't like I wasn't ever a bitch. I thought we were past all of that."

"It's our past but it's a part of why we are who we are. It's gonna come up from time to time."

Rachel snorted. So we have to go over all of the boyfriend stealing," Rachel giggled.

"There was no boyfriend stealing. You _tried_ to steal my boyfriend but he broke up with me because I cheated on him with his best friend and got knocked up, then lied about it to him. Sure he wanted you and even borderline cheated with you, but he didn't specifically leave me for you, even if it was you who told. As for me stealing him back, you two weren't together when we hooked up again. I was with Sam. I chose Sam, and when I got caught, I went back to Finn."

"Considering our GPA's, we're kind of stupid," Rachel laughed. "Self-sabotage is like our greatest pastimes."

"Most of it was about politics, Rach. He was just starting to look better on paper than Sam. He did win the big game and I didn't have the Cheerios to rely on. I wasn't aspiring to be a cheater again but I wasn't sure which was gonna work for me more," said the punk girl, not even getting into how right Rachel was because this time, she really wanted to have learned from past mistakes.

"I admire your power play," Rachel replied. "I didn't so much then but…. We really are a lot alike. If we join forces with San, Dylan and Britt, who knows what we could accomplish."

"God help us all," Quinn quipped before kissing the brunette's forhead..

"What about me and Noah? Wasn't that boyfriend stealing?"

"I wasn't with Puck when you dated him. I was with Finn. As a matter of fact I got Kurt to give you a makeover to distract Finn while I tried to decide if I wanted Puck so let's not view it as boyfriend stealing. Besides, you were talking about Shelby."

"But now I'd rather not be."

"I really think she wants back in. She wants another chance. She looks at you like I must look at Beth," said Quinn gently.

"I shouldn't have brought it up."

"If you needed to talk about it then you should have," the former cheerio reasoned.

"Well now I don't. So maybe we can make out instead," she shorter girls said with grin od a seductress.

"Smooth, Rach," Quinn smirked back. "I know you're trying to distract me."

"Is it working?" the other girl said, trailing her right hand up Quinn's abdomen.

Her breath hitched at the action but then she was able to say, "It just so happens it is."

* * *

><p>Come Friday, Quinn knew that Rachel had been thinking hard about the conversation they'd shared regarding Shelby. Apparently she had even talked it over with Hiram, who was supportive of whatever Rachel chose to do about it, but still a little stung about Shelby coming around so soon after his husband's death. She'd even talked to her therapist and in the end it brought her and the pink-haired girl to the theater of the school on their lunch break. Even though Quinn had felt like maybe it was something they should discuss alone, Rachel had asked her to be there for her and she would be.<p>

"Shelby," Rachel called out to the woman who was looking through papers while sitting on the piano bench.

The girls approached the stage, though Quinn went to sit in the front row while Rachel went up the stage and stood in front of the woman who gave life to her.

"Rachel," Shelby answered with a mix of vulnerability and joy in both her voice and her eyes.

The smaller diva got right to the point, though her voice was soft. "Why do you suddenly want to know me again?"

"Oh, honey," Shelby said as if she were ready to cry. "There's nothing suddenly about this. I've always wanted to know you."

"You wanted to know me until you met me and then you didn't. Then you wanted something better," Quinn wanted to go up to the stage and hold her girl, however, this was something she needed to let them do. If Rachel broke down she'd go to her, but until then, she was merely going to watch.

"I got scared," the woman admitted. "I talked to someone and they said some things that got to me. I genuinely thought it would be better to know you from a distance rather than build a bond and end up flaking out on you later."

"Who would tell you it was okay to get my hopes up and then tell me you didn't want me?" Rachel hissed.

"He didn't say that. Mr. Shuester was looking out for you. He just said that if I wasn't all in then I needed to leave you alone because it wasn't fair to you. You weren't hard like me." Quinn scoffed. She liked the man well enough but he really needed to learn boundaries when it came to his student's personal lives.

"He had no right," Rachel snarled. "It wasn't his business and you had no right to force your way into my life and throw me away."

"You're right. I thought I was doing the right thing at the time. I thought you didn't really need me around and it was selfish of me to play with your emotions like that. I didn't mean to hurt you but I did. That is my greatest regret," the genuine pain in the woman's voice made Quinn feel for her again. "I thought I could go and get another baby and everything I felt about you would be fixed but it wasn't. I love Beth so much. She's my baby and I just want to protect her from all things bad in the world. I want to watch her grow and I want to keep her love so badly, but that doesn't stop me from wanting all of that with you too. Eighteen or not, you're still growing. You still have so many firsts ahead of you and I want to be there for those." Quinn couldn't help but think that Shelby and Rachel were the poster children for nature over nurture. From rants to Broadway those two were definitely mother and daughter. She wondered if it would be like that with her and Beth. The thought both excited and scared her.

"I wasted all of that time feeling sorry for myself because _you_ didn't want me, meanwhile I had two loving fathers. Now Daddy's gone and you think you can come back and talk to me like you didn't…..what if you just change your mind again anyway."

"I would never try to replace what you lost," Shelby replied sadly. "I couldn't if I tried. And I won't walk away again. You have every right not to trust me but I'm here when you need me. I'll go at whatever pace you need."

Rachel was quiet for a while. Her face was neutral before finally asking, "Can I call you? When I'm ready I mean….. Is that okay?"

"I'll do whatever you need." For the first time, Quinn saw Shelby as being real mom to Rachel. She wasn't manipulating or making the choices about she and Rachel. She was letting Rachel make the choices this time.

Rachel nodded and said a quiet "okay." Then she turned and walked down the stairs f the stage. Quinn met her and they walked out of the theater together.

"I'm proud of you," Quinn whispered as she opened the door and stepped aside for Rachel to get by.

Rachel didn't answer. She just gave Quinn's hand a quick kiss on the cheek and lead the way down the corridor.

* * *

><p>Quinn had never been more grateful for glee to come around than she was that day. The group number they were all planning to do as somewhat of a warm up was going to decompress an emotional week and boy could they use it. It was a chance for them to all have some fun like they used to. They hadn't really practiced it much, just a little here and there throughout the week. They had all just kind of agreed on a fun song to do and divvied up parts so it wasn't going to amazing (even if they had a way of breaking out into impromptu seemingly on the spot choreographed song at the drop of a hat at times) but it was going to be something to take away from all the crazy stresses that they were all going through. Mr. Shuester was actually pretty surprised when the group informed them that they had something prepared.<p>

"I'm proud of all of you for taking an opportunity to bond without it having to be an assignment," he said. He really did look proud, and Quinn could almost forgive the man for all the times he'd aggravated her this year.

"Alright, Shue, sit down and let us do our thing," Santana smiled cockily as she went to play the music.

Santana sauntered to the group of gleeks as the beginning of the music played. She found Brittany who twirled her around while Quinn did the same to her own girlfriend as their friends did their own little moves. They all sang,

**I'm comin' up so you better get this party started  
>I'm comin' up so you better get this party started<strong>

Quinn stepped up and sang,

**Get this party started on a Saturday night  
>Everybody's waiting for me to arrive <strong>

Kurt and Blaine together sang,

**Sendin' out the message to all of my friends  
>We'll be looking flashy in my Mercedes Benz<strong>

Santanasashayed in her as she danced with her blonde girlfriend, singing,

**I got lot of style, check my gold diamond rings **(She displayed her and wiggled her fingers, which only had one ring on it but that was semantics.)**  
>I can go for miles if you know what I mean <strong>(She winked at Britt, with a mischievous grin.)

Everyone again sang  
><strong>I'm comin' up so you better get this party started<br>I'm comin' up so you better get this party started**

Puck and Finn now began to sing,

**Pumping up the volume, breaking down to the beat  
>Cruisin' through the west side <strong>(They simulated using tearing wheels to emphasize)  
><strong>We'll be checkin' the scene <strong>

Now Artie threw in his part.

**Boulevard is freakin' as I'm comin' up fast **(He began to do wheelies and little tricks in his chair.)**  
>I'll be burnin' rubber, you'll be kissin' my ass <strong>(Brittany chuckled loudly)**  
><strong>

Rachel tried not to laugh as she sang,

**Pull up to the bumper, get out of the car  
>License plate says Stunner #1 Superstar <strong>(She held up her right pointer finger with a knowing smile on her face. She would be after all.)

Again the group sang,**  
><strong>  
><strong>I'm comin' up so you better get this party started<br>I'm comin' up so you better get this party started**  
><strong>Get this party started<strong>

They all took the time to dance around with one another during the short intermission from lyrics until Mercedes sang,

**Making my connection as I enter the room  
>Everybody's chilling as I set up the groove<strong>

Now Brittany, Sam and Mike sang,

**Pumpin' up the volume with this brand new beat**  
><strong>Everybody's dancing and they're dancing for me <strong>(Each doing their own little dance moves… yes there was a belly roll done.)

Tina happily sang out,

**I'm your operator, you can call anytime  
>I'll be your connection to the party line<strong>

The whole group went into it again dancing around with each other as if they didn't have trouble in the world.

**I'm comin' up so you better get this party started**  
><strong>I'm comin' up so you better get this party started<strong>  
><strong>I'm comin' up so you better get this party started<strong>  
><strong>I'm comin' up so you better get this party started<strong>

**Mercedes**

**Get this party started  
>Get this party started right now<br>**

Santana

**Get this party started  
>Get this party started<strong>

Rachel

**Get this party started right now**

They all finished with laughter, hugging and high fiving one another. Yes, life had been crazy and emotional; however moments like this were an escape. They'd all missed it.

* * *

><p>"Quinnie," Judy said in surprise, carelessly tossing her purse on the table next to her daughter.<p>

"Hey, mom," she offhandedly acknowledged her mother.

"This is a surprise. If I didn't have pictures of you I'd forget what you looked like," the woman said whimsically, as she pulled out a container from the refrigerator and bumped it closed with her hip.

"I don't spend that much time away from home, mom," the former cheerleader deadpanned, "But I am heading to Rachel's in in a couple of hours." It was Friday and she had a party to get to. She'd just needed some time alone before she met up with everyone else for the night.

"Yes you do but I suppose I understand. It's your senior year and you want to spend time with your friends and girlfriend, rather than your boring mother," said the woman airily. With those words time stood still.

"What did you say?" Quinn managed to croak out, feeling her rapid heartbeat.

"I said I understand why you don't want spend all of your time at home with me," said a confused Judy, now placing the container into the microwave and pushing in the correct timing, before pressing start. .

"No before that."

"You'd rather spend time with your friends?"

"And….." Quinn hinted.

"Oh, the girlfriend?" Judy knitted her brows together

"Yeah, that," Quinn said cautiously.

"Did I get it wrong? I mean you two are joined at the hip and you did go all the way to LA to be there for her, I just thought that-"

"Okay stop talking for a minute please," Quinn requested as calmly as she could. "Now when you say girlfriend what exactly do you mean?"

"As in dating. You've seemed to have this odd crush on the girl for a while. I just figured she felt the same since you're always together now."

"How long have you known," Quinn asked, somewhat afraid that the moment would be lost and her mother would start berating her.

"I suppose since after your prom. I just started putting the pieces together. I'm sorry I didn't come to you. I'm still working on not burying my head in the sand about major things going on with you, but this time I just thought I should really let you come to me. I guess it just slipped."

Relief buzzed all over Quinn's body. Something she'd been avoiding out of fear was finally unveiled and she hadn't even known. It seems as if she was _that_ obvious. "How are you okay with this?"

"It took some time to accept but I love you and I don't ever want to drive you away again," Judy said, sitting down next to her. Only Quinn had never been driven away. She had been thrown away. "Besides, I've never personally had an issue with homosexuality. I figured you knew that when I was okay with Santana and Brittany being around."

"Rachel's a really good person, mom," Quinn nearly whispered. She didn't bother questioning her mother's mention of her best friends because the two were pretty darn obvious.

"From the way you girls used to talk about her I wouldn't know," Judy chuckled. "Maybe you could bring her around and I can see that for myself."

"Maybe," Quinn said, still partially in shock. While they were at it, having this mother/daughter time, she decided she may as well go for the gold and bring up the other thing. "Mom."

"Yes dear?"

"While we're already talking about the heavy stuff… well, I think we should talk about Beth."

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you for reading another chapter. I'd love to hear your thoughts on things. Yep, that's me trying to wheedle reviews out of you. <strong>


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